


Hearts of Courage

by Triforceriku



Series: The Legend of Zelda: Unity [2]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:49:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24033058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Triforceriku/pseuds/Triforceriku
Series: The Legend of Zelda: Unity [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1267802
Kudos: 1





	1. Establishing Moment - Heroes of the Past

_**48 years ago,** _

_**Palace of Winds -** _

The four heroes stood atop a platform, miles above the kingdom. Their destination stood ominously in front of them, with only the sky behind them. The door to the tower slowly begins to rise with a rumble. The four share a nod, confirming that they're all prepared to face whatever this trek brings, and march onward into the dark unknown.

Upon entering, they're met with a near pitch black room, standing on an elevated ledge. They all cautiously jump down from up high. Upon landing, four statues holding torches ignite, providing some light. The statues resemble a blue boar, almost like a moblin.

"Where to next?" One of the heroes, clad in blue, asks. 

"Who knows for sure?" The leader replies, his green garb illuminated by the torchlight. "We've been at this for a while, now. You know how it goes. We wander into a dungeon and wing it until we figure out the way forward."

"I wouldn't call it winging it, more like dumb luck. But whatever, it's your call."

The four head over to a room off to the left of the entrance. They are immediately met with their first obstacle, a heavily armored knight wielding a ball and chain.

"Ugh, I hate these guys." The blue hero grumbles.

"Less complaining, let's dispatch it quickly." Another hero says. This one wore violet.

Through their combined effort they do just that, quickly striking down the foe before pressing onward. 

"Hey guys," A younger voiced hero called out to his allies. His tunic was a vibrant shade of red. "I found a switch."

The other three walked over to see his finding.

"Think it might be a trap?" The green hero asked.

"We won't know til we find out," his blue cohort said. "Go for it, Red."

The Red hero flips the switch, and a clicking sound is heard. The blue hero jumps back as a trap is set off, placing a wall between him and his allies.

"Agh, dammit." He curses. "You guys alright?"

"Yeah, we're okay, Blue." The green leader calls back from the other side. "We'll be out of here in no time, there's always a way out of these things."

Surely enough, it doesn't take long for the other three heroes to find a weak spot in the wall and force their ways through. They rejoin and make their way past the entry room and onto the other side, where they're met with...

" _ANOTHER_ ball-and-chain soldier?!" Blue exclaims. "We haven't even been here ten minutes, and this place is already pissing me off."

"Complaining again, are we?" The violet hero muttered.

"Don't worry, Blue, we've got this!" The red hero assured. "We'll take out a hundred of these guys if we need to."

" _PLEASE_ don't jinx us, Red."

The four heroes dispatch the opponent yet again, hi defeat causes their swords to shine. 

"More force energy, huh? Guess that means we can move on."

They return back to the entrance before pressing onward. They come upon a switch, and a stairway blocked by electricity.

"This one needs all four of us," the green leader says. "You guys ready?"

"Yeah, let's let this over with." Blue says eagerly.

"Ready and raring to go!" Red said with excited confidence. "How about you, Vio?"

The violet hero simply rolled his shoulders before giving a simple "Hm".

They step on the switch, which spawns an army of monsters.

"Awwwwww, what _**NOW!?!?**_ " Blue exclaims. 

"Stalfos," Vio confirms. "And Wizzrobes."

"Time to do what we do best." Green says, dashing toward the opposition. 

Each hero rushes toward a handful of targets, quickly taking them out. When the last monster was struck down, the electric blockade dispersed. 

The green leader motioned for his comrades to press onward up the staircase. 

"What do you think is waiting for us?" Red asked.

"Who knows?" His green leader replied. "This is the last stretch, though, that's pretty certain. So it really could be anything."

"As long as I get to knock some heads around, I don't care _what_ waits for us." Blue said.

"Don't forget our primary objective, you guys." Vio said. "We have a certain wind mage to take out, remember?"

"Bet I can take him out before you guys." Blue challenged. "I'd make it look like a cakewalk before you guys even caught up to me."

"Now now, Blue," Green said. "We're all a team here, so we have to work together. Besides, we all know that **_I_ **would be the one to take him out first."

"Wanna bet? Fifty rupees says I can beat him first!"

"We share the same wallet, genius.......make it sixty and you're on."

* * *

The four heroes make their way into a large dark room, the large door slamming shut behind them. From high above them, a deep, rumbling laugh can be heard.

"There's our target." Vio confirms. 

"We finally made it, huh..." Blue said.

"The sorcerer who's been tormenting Hyrule for ages." Red adds.

"The wind mage; Vaati."

A shadowy figure descends from above. It is a large, round figure, with one large eye and copious amounts of bat-like wings.

 **"So, you are the four 'heroes' who have been meddling with my** **affairs. You are all little more than specs of dust, waiting to be swept away."**

"We aren't going to lose to you, Vaati." Green announced. "We're here for the princess. Now hand her over, or we'll be forced to strike you down."

Vaati chuckled at the green hero's words.

 **"You? Strike _me_ down?" **He mocked. **"You will first have to find your footing. If you cannot so much as hold your ground against my wind, then you will have no hope of survival!"**

Vaati opened his wings, and a violent windstorm erupted about the room, pushing the four heroes to and fro. Each one struggled to regain composure as they were tossed around. The wind mage surrounded himself with energy balls, and he redirected his winds toward himself, resulting in the heroes colliding with his magic attack.

They all fell back to the ground below with a heavy slam. They quickly got to their feet.

"That all you got, a little wind?" Blue mocked. "Talk about weak."

He brought out a bomb. "Red, light me up!"

"Sure thing!" Red said, bringing out a fire rod and using it to light Blue's fuse.

Blue then launched the bomb toward Vaati, only for him to send it right back using his wind magic.

"Watch out!" Green called to his allies, before jumping in front of the bomb with his shield out. 

The blast knocked the four heroes back.

"Augh, stupid wind." Blue complains.

"We can't just attack wildly," Vio says. "We need to think of a plan."

"What better plan is there than giving him everything we've got? Red, light me again, but this time back me up!"

"Uh, right." Red said. He ignites another bomb for Blue before firing off a stream of fire toward Vaati.

The winds pick up again, stirring the flames into a giant inferno, immediately detonating the bomb and sending a wall of roaring fire back down toward the heroes.

 **"Surely this is not all you have to offer"** Vaati laughed. **"I should have known that mere children could not match my might."**

The four heroes staggered back to their feet, but they did not let up. They continued their onslaught; Red using his fire rod, Blue with his bombs, and Green adding a few shots from a bow. But all their attacks proved fruitless in the face of Vaati's wind magic.

Vaati again unleashes his wind to sweep up the heroes and collide them into his magical barrier. The four young boys fall back to the ground, battered and bruised. 

"Augh, dang it," Blue said. "What's with this guy?"

"His wind," Red added. "It's no joke! Nothing we do it working."

"Now can we try coming up with a plan?" Vio said.

Vaati waits for the heroes to make their next move. In a single motion, the four make a beeline for the center of the room, where a hole sat. They all slipped down into it, where Vaati cannot follow.

**"And where do you think you are headed? You cannot escape my wrath!"**

"Great, now we're sitting ducks." Blue said. "As soon as one of us tries to get out, we're done for!"

"Again with the complaining," Vio sighed. "We're taking this time to come up with a plan."

"Well I hope that plan includes an escape option."

"Blue, we have shields." Green said, reminding him. "I know you're a 'swing first, worry about my hide later' kind of guy, but it's still useful."

"That covers the escape," Red said. "But what about attacking? We tried every option we have. He's too high to reach with our swords, and all of our items keep getting blown back into our faces."

"Which is why we need to make sure we turn the tables on him, remember how he's been attacking us."

Some time passed, and Vaati's patience began running thin. He positioned himself over the heroes' hiding place and began charging a magic attack.

**"I have waited long enough. Now you shall-"**

Just at that moment, Vio jumped out of the hole. Vaati wasted no time and fired his magic at him. Unexpectedly, the hero swung his shield at the magic, sending it right back toward the wind mage. It just barely grazed him. During this moment, an arrow came flying toward him. He quickly dodged it, barely having time to use his wind to his advantage. The other three heroes stood, weapons ready and waiting. Vaati took this opportunity to sweep them up with his wind yet again, lifting them high into the air, preparing a circle of energy to attack the young heroes.

"Just as planned," Vio said to himself. "Now!"

At Vio's signal, Red shot a fireball toward Blue, who used it to light another fuse before launching the bomb toward Vaati. The bomb got swept up in the wind, and soared straight toward the wind mage, exploding on contact. The blast stunned him, causing the wind to cease. Green took this as initiative, and fired an arrow straight into Vaati's eye, blinding him. Vio then equipped a cape, Roc's Cape, and lept high into the air, above Vaati, before plummeting back downward, plunging his blade into the wind mage.

**"Wh- what? How could-"**

The power of the Four Sword, that each of the heroes wield, rushed through the wind mage's body, igniting him in a radiant blue fire. Within seconds, he was reduced to nothing. Blue embers raised from the ground and into the air, disappearing from view.

Vaati had been defeated.

"Awwwwwwwww YEAH!!!!!" Blue cheered. "Did you _see_ that!?"

"Vio! That plan was AMAZING!" Red praised, embracing his violet ally.

"Yeah, great work, we needed that coordination." Greed added.

Vio smiled. 

"Alright you guys, we need to find the Princess. She's gotta be around here somewhere, right?"

Just then, the door leading to Vaati's chamber reopened. After sharing a cautious look, the four heroes made their way back out of the palace.

Back outside, a crystal lay waiting. Green made his way up to the crystal and placed his hand upon it, breaking its seal and cracking it's surface.

The crystal shattered, and from it fell the Princess of Hyrule Kingdom, Zelda Margaretta Hyrule.

"Princess!" The four heroes called.

She came to, and turned to see her rescuers. 

"Link, you- you saved me. You defeated the wind sorcerer, Vaati."

"That we did." Green confirmed. "It was all thanks to our teamwork. I couldn't have done it alone."

"I see." She looked at their swords. They were all identical. "The power of the Four Sword is far greater than I imagined. I had always heard legend that it multiplied its user's strength four times over, but I never realized it meant it would literally split the user into four!"

"We were about as surprised as you were to be honest, Your Highness." Red said with a smile.

The Princess giggled. "I'm sure."

Just then, the ground began rumbling. The five youths turned back toward the Palace of Winds to see it beginning to crumble. Pieces of debris began falling from it.

"Wh- what's going on?" Blue asked, struggling to keep his footing.

"This palace was built on the power of Vaati's magical strength." The Princess explained. "With its master gone, it can no longer retain its form. We mustn't stay any longer, we need to escape to the Tower of Winds!"

"You don't have to tell us twice, let's go go go!" Blue said.

The five immediately began their travel back into the tower below to escape. What they failed to notice, however, were the blue embers that escaped from the Palace of Winds behind them.

* * *

_**Tower of Winds -** _

Back in the tower, the four heroes and the princess continued their escape. The structure of the tower shook just as violently as the palace sitting atop it.

"Wh- what's going on?" The Princess panicked. "Why is the Tower of Winds beginning to collapse?"

"It wasn't connected to Vaati too, was it?" Green asked.

"No, the Tower of Winds has been a part of Hyrule since ancient times, long before Vaati escaped his seal. We have to get out, quickly!"

They proceeded with their escape, barreling through corridors filled with falling debris and monsters. The four heroes would stop at nothing to ensure the safety of the Princess.

"There are monsters still about?" The Princess asked. 

"Yeah? We've been taking them out this whole time." Blue said. 

"No, she makes a good point, Blue." Green continued. "Wouldn't they all have vanished if we defeated Vaati? He called them up, didn't he?"

"But what if it wasn't Vaati who conjured them?" Red asked.

"But if Vaati did not call them, then.....who did?" The Princess pondered.

Suddenly, a horde of dark soldiers appeared, blocking their path.

The four heroes readied their blades and made short work of them, clearing the path forward once more.

The path forward was paved with traps lying in wait, and foes of all sorts. 

_What is this sense of dread that fills the air?,_ the Princess thought to herself among the chaos.

"There's the exit!" Red called out, directing everyone's attention to the door leading out of the tower. "We're home free!"

The Princess stopped in her tracks, seemingly frozen with fear.

"Whoa, guys, hold on!" Green called to his technicolor cohorts. "Something's up!" 

Everyone feel back to rejoin the Princess.

"What's the matter?"

"I sense...a tremendous power approaching!" She said.

"A tremendous power?" Vio said.

"You think it might be Vaati?" Red said, worried.

"No way," Blue assured. "We put that joker on ice!"

A loud clang noise could be heard from the direction of the exit. Behind the heroes stood a heavily armored knight, wielding a ball-and-chain.

"OH COME- _WHAT ELSE WOULD IT BE!?!?"_ Blue exclaimed.

"Pipe down and fight, Blue." Vio commanded. 

With a relentless assault, Vio and Blue quickly dispatched the soldier, escaping with only a few scrapes from his attack. Picking themselves up from their brief fight, they all made a mad dash for the exit.

"We're almost the-"

But just as those words were uttered, the floor beneath them gave way, sending them all plummeting into the abyss below.

* * *

Green woke up in an unfamiliar room. He surveyed the area; dark. Nothing but darkness. He could barely see his own hand in front of his face.

"Guys?" he called out into the dark. "GUYS! Where are you?"

"Right here, Green." A young voice called back. A small flame appeared beside Green. Red sat with his fire rod in the air, giving off a decent glow.

"Thanks, Red. Where are the others?"

"You're sitting on one of 'em!" an annoyed voice called from below. Green jumped up letting Blue climb to his feet. Vio and the Princess approached from the shadows.

"Where are we?" The Princess asked. 

Green looked toward Red and gave him a quick nod, followed by Red raising his rod higher and firing off small balls of fire to line the walls of the room, providing more light. The room was large, round, and empty.

In the center sat a gathering of dark flames.

The Princess cautiously approached the fires, seemingly curious of them. 

"What _is_ that?" Blue asked.

"A raw patch of darkness, deeper than the blackest night...." The Princess said. "Could- could that be Vaati?"

The four heroes were shocked. Could their blades not have truly eradicated their previous foe? 

"No," Green said. "No, it couldn't be. The Four Sword should have ended him, right? It couldn't be him. Psh."

"No matter, I must use my power to seal it away."

The Princess began to focus her power. She removed the glove on her right hand, revealing a triangular mark. Raising her hand into the air, the mark began to radiate a brilliant glow, and a similar light surrounded the dark embers.

 ** _"_** ** _ENOUGH..."_** a dark voice called from the unknown. _**"**_ **T** **HE PRINCESS OF HYRULE AND ALL HER POWER AMOUNTS TO** _ **NOTHING!"**_

"What was that!?" Green said, surprised at the sudden announcement.

 _**"** _ **YOU TRULY BELIEVE THAT YOUR POWER ALONE IS ENOUGH TO STOP ME? _FOOLISH!"_**

"Who goes there?" Vio said.

"Show yourself, _coward!"_ Blue yells.

 _**"ZELDA!** _ **I, GANON, NOW SEAL _YOU_ AWAY FOREVER!!!"**

Suddenly, the flames Red positioned around the edge of the room changed from their bright, fiery red, to an eclipsing black. They moved in close, surrounding the Princess. Electricity linked the flames together creating a circle of magic, and in an instant the Princess was trapped in a magical cage. She was risen high into the air, grunting in pain.

"Princess!" Green called out.

In front of the heroes, the dark embers began to flare, erupting into a black pillar of darkness. Within them, something began taking shape, growing larger and larger, until a large mass took up the majority of the room.

A giant blue boar, wearing armor towered over the heroes. Its cape billowing in the wind conjured by its sudden appearance. A shadowy trident was imprisoned by its large, monstrous grasp. The beast bellowed a horrifying laugh.

 **"WEAKLINGS! INCOMPETENT _FOOLS!"_ **The monster insulted. " **YOU SO-CALLED 'HEROES' STAND NOT EVEN A _GNAT'S_ CHANCE OF HARMING ME!!!**" 

The four young boys stood their ground. 

"Wait, he said his name was-" Red began.

"Ganon, yeah," Vio continued. "The Gerudo back at the desert mentioned something about him."

"The scrubs back in the Lost Woods, too." Blue added. "This guys really made a name for him, huh? Must be a big deal."

"Ganon!" Green called to the towering beast. "With our powers united, we _will_ save the Princess Zelda, and we _WILL_ strike you down!"

Ganon let out a roaring laugh once more. 

**"IMPUDENT WORMS, EVEN IF YOU ATTACK IN A GROUP, I WILL SKEWER THE LOT OF YOU ON MY MIGHTY TRIDENT!!!"**

Wasting no time, Ganon fired off a barrage of black fireballs toward the heroes. With quick thinking, Vio equipped the Pegasus Boots, boots that allow the wearer to run at intense speeds, and the Power Bracelet, a wristband that grants additional physical strength. In a single movement, he swept up his allies into his arms and dashed out of the way of Ganon's attack. 

"Whoa! Thanks for that, Vio!" Red said.

"Yeah, smart thinking, guy." Blue added.

"Well, somebody had to keep you all alive." Vio said, jokingly. "What's the plan, Green?"

"He's a large target, but he looks like he moves pretty slow, so we shouldn't have too much trouble getting hits in on him. The Issue is _him_ getting hits on _us,_ so as long as we keep our distance we should be fine."

"So, move fast, hit hard?" Blue asked.

"Move fast, hit hard. "Green confirmed. 

Vio tossed Red the Roc's Cape, and the two began dashing about the room. Vio slashed at Ganon's legs from the ground, while Red leapt high and attacked from the air with his Fire Rod. Green and Blue fell back, attacking with their bow and bombs respectively. Their attacks proved useful up until Ganon decided he had enough.

With a single spin of his trident, he vanished.

"What the- _WHAT_?" Blue exclaimed.

"He can do that?" Red added. "That's gotta be against the rules.

Just as soon as he vanished, Ganon reappeared beside Vio.

**"YOU SEEM TO BE THE BRAINS OF THIS LITTLE OPERATION, AND NOW I HAVE YOU!"**

He fired a bolt of lightning from his trident. Vio attempted to escape, but wasn't fast enough to outrun Ganon's assault. In a flash, Vio vanished from sight.

"Vio!" Green called.

"Dang, there goes any tactics we could've had." Blue cursed. "You'll pay for that, you ham hock!"

The three remaining boys continued their onslaught, but struggled due to Ganon's constant teleportation. Their attack went on for some time, and they were beginning to lose steam, as well as ammunition.

"Agh, I'm running out of bombs. How are you on arrows, Green?" Blue called to his ally.

"Only got a few left," he called back. "This isn't looking good, and I can't tell if we're even slowing him down."

Red dropped down from above. "*hah* All that jumping around *hah* is starting to tire me out. And I think the Fire Rod is *hah* running low on magic. I didn't even know it could _do_ that."

Ganon turned toward the three heroes.

**"RUNNING OUT OF ENERGY, ARE WE? DON'T WORRY, I'LL PUT YOU OUT OF YOU MISERY."**

With another spin, Ganon's ignited his trident with blue flames, and flung it toward the boys.

"Watch out!" Blue yelled, before pushing Red and Green out of the weapon's path, which collided with Blue, sending him flying.

"Blue!" Red and Green chorused. 

The trident swung back around toward Ganon as he caught it once again.

**"FOOLISH CHILDREN! YOU'RE DOWN TWO ALLIES, AND YET YOU STILL BELIEVE YOU CAN HOLD UP TO MY POWER. I'LL GIVE YOU THIS MUCH, YOU WERE THE LONGEST TO SURVIVE AGAINST ME, YET YOU'LL FALL ALL THE SAME."**

The beast raised his trident high into the air, reigniting it with azure flames yet again. Green and Red struggled to stand their ground, barely keeping their weapons in their hands. Ganon reared back, ready to launch his trident once more. The two heroes readied their shields, knowing full well that they wouldn't stop Ganon's attack, but still held on to some small semblance of hope. 

**"FALL INTO THE ABYSS! BEGO-"**

A flash of light appeared in front of Ganon, and from it leapt Vio. He quickly turned, performing a spinning attack, striking Ganon's knee causing him to fal to the ground. With his guard dropped, Princess Zelda's cage lowered from above. Taking advantage, she dispelled Ganon's magic, freeing herself.

"Princess!" Green called.

"Ganon..." she began. "This beast was once a Gerudo....once Human. He went by the name Ganondorf. King of Darkness, ancient demon reborn. Wielder of the Trident of Power."

She began emitting a radiant glow yet again.

"Yet now, while Ganon's power has waned, I will pour all of remaining strength into this ball of light! When it is suffused with power, I will release it and strike!"

"What should we do, Princess?" Green asked.

"Gather your blue ally, we'll need everyone for this. As for you, preserve those few arrows you have remaining. When my attack is ready, fire at it with all your might! If we combine our powers, we may yet be able to seal Ganon away from the world!"

"So hold back Ganon until your attack is ready?" Red asked.

"Sounds good to me," Vio said. "Red, help me retrieve Blue."

Red and Vio went over to assist Blue, while Green stood beside Zelda. Ganon climbed back to his feet.

**"DO YOU THINK YOU CAN STOP ME? INSIGNIFICANT GNATS! YOU HAVE NOT A FOOL'S CHANCE OF FACING MY POWER!"**

Green readied his bow as Zelda continued focusing her power.

**"ONCE I AM FINISHED HERE, I SHALL BE RID OF YOUR PRINCESS ZELDA FOREVER!!!"**

"Are you ready?" Zelda asked her green ally.

"As I'll ever be." He replied. "GUYS!"

Red, Blue, and Vio rushed forward toward Ganon. The beast fired blasts of energy toward them, with them dodging the majority of them. Ganon then turned his attention toward Zelda, and fired a blast toward her. Green then recalled one of Vio's previous maneuvers against Vaati. Dropping his bow and raising his shield, Green smacked a blast back toward Ganon, stunning him in the process.

"Wait, Green, how did you-" Red said, surprised.

"SO, he can dish 'em out, but he can't take it, eh?" Blue said.

The three boys continued their assault on the large beast, now knocking back any projectiles he sent their way. The relentless onslaught of slashes, and his own projectiles being sent back toward him, eventually overwhelmed the demon kind, knocking him down to his knees. 

"This is our chance!" Zelda cried. She raised the now charged ball of light higher, and positioned it in front of the beast.

"Now's your chance, Li-"

But before she could finish, Ganon threw one last attack, knocking the five heroes backward.

**"CURSED WORMS, YOU MAY HAVE WEAKENED ME FOR NOW, BUT I WILL STRIKE YOU DOWN ALL THE SAME!!"**

He began climbing back to his feet, malicious intent in his eyes, and determination on his breath. 

Blue managed to raise himself up enough to catch a glimpse of their oncoming demise before turning his attention to a bow, dropped by his green ally.

"B- Blue?" Red uttered.

He struggled back to his feet, barely holding himself up. He practically threw himself over to where the bow sat, doing whatever he could to reach it faster.

"Wait, what're you-" Green managed to say.

He nocked an arrow, pulling back with all his might, just barely keeping his focus on the ball of light before him. Failing to see the final ditch effort from Ganon to be rid of his foes. 

The ball of darkness flew quickly toward the injured Blue, no means of escape for him in sight.

Barely thinking, Vio mustered his last ounce of strength and hopped back to his feet, dashing forward to Blue's side. He weakly raised his Four Sword into the air, and in an instant was joined by Green and Red. They seemed confused at first, unsure of how they were suddenly beside their blue and violent brothers in arms. But they quickly worked together to knock Ganon's final attack back at him, staggering him further.

"Blue!" Vio called.

" _DO IT!!!!"_ Green and Red chorused.

Blue released. It pierced through the ball of light, transforming the arrow into a bolt of pure light, and striking Ganon through the chest. Light enveloped the demon, filling the once dim room with an angelic glow. Six additional colored lights emerged from the four heroes, surrounding the stunned Ganon. The maidens that the heroes had rescued during their journey appeared to assist in removing Ganon from the world. They all shone with radiant lights of their own.

"Now!" Zelda began. "Raise the Four Sword skyward!"

The four young heroes obeyed, thrusting their blades into the air as one.

 **"WHAT....WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?"** Ganon roared. **"I AM THE KING OF DARKNESS, I CANNOT BE DESTROYED BY INSECTS LIKE YOU!!!"**

The light around Ganon began to close in around him, breaking him down into a mist that sped toward the blade of the Four Sword. The heroes held their ground as Ganon's essence rushed furiously into their blades. A light exploded throughout the room, as Ganon vanished from view, the Four Sword's blade left smoldering.

Ganon had successfully been defeated.

Zelda, the six maidens, and the four heroes stood in the large room, now filled with a radiant light.

"Young heroes," Zelda began. "We, whom you protected, and all of Hyrule as well...We will struggle together, and grow stronger than ever before. We will work as one, just as the four of you have. We will work....together. Now, the Four Sword.....We shall return it to its pedestal where it belongs."

* * *

_**Four Sword Sanctuary -**_

Princess Zelda stands with the six maidens behind the pedestal of the Four Sword.

The four heroes; Green, Red, Blue, and Vio, walk up to its front. They look to each other, give an affirming nod, then raise their blades into the air once again. They twinkle in the light that shines through the stain glass windows of the sanctuary. Enveloped in light, the blades begin to merge, their wielders doing the same. 

Zelda and the maidens are shocked by the sole hero who remains. 

_His tunic,_ Zelda thought.

The lone boy returned the sword to the pedestal and stepped back, as the Princess and maidens focused their magic. The ground around the pedestal began to glow, before beams of light erupted high into the air and around the blade. A pyramid shaped barrier formed around the Four Swords pedestal, acting as a seal.

As more light began seeping into the sanctuary, the maidens took their leave, vanishing one by one in flashes of light.

Without any further unnecessary words, the Princess and the Hero exited the the sanctuary, returning to the Kingdom that awaited them outside.

....

...

..

.


	2. Walking into the Future

_**Four Sword Sanctuary, Present Day -** _

Light shone gently through the stain glass windows of the sanctuary.

A gentle breeze blows across the foliage covered grounds.

A light appears from above, quickly lowering itself. When it dispersed, a small group of people stood in its place.

The first three were the Royal Family of Hyrule; the current King and Queen, Nyles Cassivellaunus Hyrule and Zelda Rayonna Hyrule II. As well as their daughter, Princess Zelda Aubrianne Hyrule III. A handful of escorts were assisting their special guest along with them; the former Queen of Hyrule, Zelda Margaretta Hyrule I, the mother of Queen Rayo, and the grandmother of Zelda.

Behind them were six mages, tasked with the duty of checking on the Four Sword seal every year. They ranged from younger mages, to seasoned wizzrobe level spellcasters and wizards.

Finally, was the final attendant; The Hero of the Four Sword from years past, Link Farrell Haig I.

The group made their way up a path, leading to the pedestal where the Four Sword lay. 

"We've arrived." One of the older mages said. "The Four Sword sanctuary. The site where not once, not twice, but three times has this sacred blade been used to fight back the darkness, and bring hope back Hyrule Kingdom."

"Oooooh, I always love coming here, darling." Queen Rayo said to her husband. "It feels so serene, so peaceful. I could lie down in this grass and sleep all of ym cares away."

"I'm sure you could, love." King Nyles said back to his wife. "Granted, you say that to many of the places we visit that are more nature heavy. What say you, Princess?"

The Princess did not respond, she simply stared about the sanctuary. 

Zelda I scuttled up beside Link I.

"Brings back memories, does it not?" she said, greeting her old friend and ally. "How long has it been, again? Since that day we all worked together?"

"Around forty-eight years, I believe." The old knight replied. 

"It's amazing how much can happen in that time. Whole generations of our families have come into light during that time. And I hear yours has gotten even further along than mine."

Link I blew air out of his nostrils. Zelda I took notice of this.

"Farrell," She began. "Don't tell me you still hold such ill will toward your own grandson."

"Highnesses," A mage calls from the direction of the pedestal. "We thank you for your attendance as we perform the task of enforcing the seal. Our blue maiden will now begin the ritual."

A young woman with light blue hair walks up to the pedestal.

"Oh! Is that the descendant of our old friend?" Zelda I asked.

"I'm afraid not, Highness." Link I corrected. "She is, however, a student of hers."

"Oh yes, that's right! You married the blue maiden, I remember now. I'm sorry, Farrell, my memory isn't quite how it used to be. You rely so much on your abilities as a seer and everything right in front of you can get a little hazy, you know." The former Queen chortled to herself. "What is her name, if I might be so nosy?"

"Lana, she's been a part of our staff for about a decade now. A skilled sorceress, that one, as well as an efficient spear fighter."

Lana brings a spell book from the pocket of her robes. She flips through a few pages before stopping and places the book at her feet. She takes a breath, then raises her arms, her hands give off a cerulean glow.

"Goddesses above us," Lana prayed. "Grant me your blessing. Permit us the strength we need to maintain the seal which had been placed for generations long past."

The remaining five mages stepped forward, surrounding the pedestal. They, too, focused their energies toward the sealed sword. A pyramid shaped barrier appeared around the pedestal, before slowly vanishing from view.

Lana's expression showed confusion.

"Well, Lana?" King Nyles asked the mage. "What's the verdict?"

"Highness." Lana began. "The seal remains strong as ever."

"Good, as it should be, I suppose that means our work here is done?"

"Not quite," Lana corrected. "While the seal remains unbroken, I don't detect any life forces within the blade."

"I beg your pardon?" Queen Rayo said. "Do you mean to tell us that whatever was sealed in there has escaped?"

"That, or it has perished." Zelda I added. 

"Would that even be possible?" Link I questioned.

"Mother," King Nyles said to Zelda I. "What was it that you sealed away all those years ago, exactly?"

Everyone in the sanctuary was silent, everyone sharing the same question. Zelda III had an unamused look on her face.

"I suppose we were wrong to keep this from you all," The former Queen finally said. "It is important that you all at least know exactly what you are all fighting."

The mages placed the seal back on the Four Sword, just to be sure, then made their way over to the former Queen. 

"Within that blade....was the essence of an ancient evil reborn. A thief who, against the words of his own people, sought out power far beyond his intended reach, resulting in him becoming a demon himself." 

Everyone was stunned.

"An ancient evil reborn?" 

"You don't mean..."

* * *

_**Sarjon Woods -** _

Deep within the Faron Woods, monsters were congregating. A nearby village was in their sights, their destination for attack. The leader of the pack of monsters, a blue moblin, gives the order for his partners in crime to attack. 

"They're on the move." 

The bokoblins ride forth on boars, waving their makeshift weapons in the air, as they let out their guttural battle cries.

"Quite a few of 'em this time."

"Yeah, but strength doesn't always come from numbers. You guys ready?"

The group of mounted monsters were just reaching the lakeside village, when one of the boars tripped and fell over, followed by another, and another.

One after the other, the mounted monsters fell to the dirt.

Two figures jumped from the trees, landing on top of a couple of bokoblins, reducing them to a cloud of malice. They drew their weapons as the remaining group of monsters started scrambling to their feet. The monsters surrounded the two, squaring up to them.

"We're surrounded." One of the figures said, drawing a blade from their hip, his cape billowing as he moved. He had a rather lean stature.

"Good, hoped they'd make it easier for me." Said the other bringing out two blades from his back. This one was a significantly larger man. He wore burgundy armor. 

People from nearby took note of the commotion coming from just outside their village. 

The two men rushed toward the monsters, striking them down with little effort. Quick movements came from the smaller man, while the larger man performed wider, heavier attacks. From behind the pack, the lead moblin ordered a handful of bokoblin grunts to make their way to the village from another direction. Fortunately for the village, all ends were covered, as the grunts were easily dispatched by magical attacks from afar.

"Got you guys covered."

Having enough, the moblin finally steps forward, ready to avenge his fallen fellow monsters. He rushed toward the smaller of the two heroes, attacking with a wide swing with his claymore. But the hero was too fast, and dodged the first attack. The moblin followed up with a spinning slash, only to be parried by the hero. The moblin was knocked off balance, and the nimble hero rolled underneath he beast granting him the perfect shot at its backside. With a quick swipe, the hero took out the moblin's ankles, leaving it open to a follow up attack from the larger hero, who easily struck the beast down with a falling attack from above.

The two heroes gathered themselves before turning their attention toward the oncoming villagers.

"That was so cool!" 

"You two are amazing, thank you so much!" 

"We really appreciate your help, how can we ever repay you?"

"Ah, no need," the lean, caped hero assured. "We're just doing our duty to keep the people of the kingdom safe."

"Hold on just a second," one of the villagers said. "Green cap and coat, brown cape, a- and you were fighting left handed, yes? I knew it! You're the Hyrulean Champion; Sir Link Kenway!"

Link blushed. "Just Link is fine, thank you. But yes, that is me. And this is my fellow knight, Ganondorf."

The townsfolk gasped at the larger man's presence.

"It truly is him."

"The gentle giant with the cursed name."

"Sir Ganondorf Dragmire, Gerudo Champion! EEEEEEEE!!!"

The townsfolk cheered for their saviors, nearly dragging them into their town to repay their efforts.

"Please, good sirs, we simply _must_ reward you for your kindness." One of the villagers insisted.

"Uhhh, hold on just a sec," Link said. Reaching into a pouch he kept on his belt, he pulled out a small blue stone tied to a necklace. "Ralph, you still there? The townspeople want us to stay for a bit."

"Hang on," a voice said from the stone. "My cloak got caught on a tree branch, I'll be right down."

The winds began to pick up. Nearby leaves began swirling beside Link and Ganondorf. Suddenly a flash of light appeared, and when it died down, a young man wearing a blue cloak stood in its place. He dusted a few leaves off of his clothes.

"Nice of you to join us, Your Highness," Ganondorf joked. "Fashionably late as always."

"Cut me some slack, big guy," Ralph shot back. "I was the one making sure all the other vantage points were covered."

"This is Prince Ralph Labrynna, our Royal Tactician." Link introduced.

"Just Ralph is fine, thanks. Unfortunately, we won't be able to stay, we've got classes to teach later."

"Ah shoot," Link said. "Thanks for the reminder."

"Ey, somebody's gotta keep you guys in check."

The villagers gave more thanks before bidding farewell to the knights. 

Up the path from the village stood three horses, one significantly larger than the other two.

Take a good guess who that one might belong to.

"Another job well done, team." Link said to his cohorts. "It's always nice to get out into the world every once in a while, huh?"

"Yeah," Ganondorf added. "But I'm looking forward to getting back to the castle. I am _starving._ "

"I might do some studying when we get back." Ralph said.

"You mean sleeping?"

"You know me so well, big guy.

The knights mounted their respective steeds and began riding to the north, back toward Central Hyrule.

As the castle came into view over the horizon, the three stopped to discuss their plans.

"Alright," Link said. "I'm gonna stop by Mabe for a bit, I'll meet you guys at the castle later, cool?"

"You got it, chief." Ralph said.

"Yeah," Ganondorf agreed. "Say hi to the family for me."

Ralph and Ganondorf continued North to the castle, while Link made his way to the East.

* * *

_**Mabe Village -** _

Link rode into town, immediately being greeted by its people. As his horse trotted down the dirt road, he took in the sights of the small town. Children played, older folks talked among one another, men and women alike performing yard duties. It wasn't much, but Mabe Village was a place that Link was proud to call home. He made his way up to a small building, the local Mabe smithy. A dark skinned Hylian man stood behind the counter, hammering away at a molten piece of metal.

"Hey, Gondo." Link greeted.

"The Champ returns!" The man replied. "How'd you guys' little mission go?"

"Flawlessly, the monsters didn't stand a chance."

"Naturally!" Gondo laughed. "With you three, there's no way a bunch of bokoblins were gonna deal too much damage. With your skills, Labrynna's tactics, and Dragmire's raw strength? Psh, easy. Speaking of, when can I get that tower in my shop, eh?"

"Oh, Ganondorf? I'll have to bring him by, sometime. You guys would get along, no doubt."

Gondo laughs again. "We'll see, we'll see. Now to business, I'm guessing you're here to pick up the sword?"

"Yeah, we've got classes today, and I wanted to make today special, y'know?"

"I hear ya, pal. Here you are."

Gondo brings out a small, sheathed sword and hands it to Link.

"Hope the little one likes it. Have yourself a good one, and tell the missus I say hey, yeah?"

"Sure thing, Gondo. See you around."

Link, now with the small sword in hand, leads his horse through town, and out toward Lon Lon Ranch.

As he came up the road he was greeted by Igneous, one of the farmhands and the Goron Champion.

"Hey, welcome home, Link." He said. He was carrying a goat in one arm. A regular display of Goron strength.

"Hey, Ig. How's work?"

"Easy breezy, the crew and I just got here a bit ago, so we're all hard at it right now."

"Good to hear, hopefully the goats aren't giving you guys too much trouble today. They've been antsy lately. Is Malon out on delivery?"

"Nah, she has off. She's been working extra hard, lately. Been pushing herself for you guys, get me? So Talon gave her the order to relax for the day."

Link smiled. "Yeah, she deserves that. I'll go give her a visit, then."

"I'll watch Epona for you."

"Thanks, Ig. 'Ppreciate ya!"

Link made his way into the house beside the entrance to the ranch. Sitting inside at the table was Talon, holding a hand of cards. Across the table from him was a young girl. When Link came through the door, her attention shifted toward him immediately. Her eyes lit up, and she jumped out of her chair, and rushed over to greet him.

"Papa, you're home!" She exclaimed with a big smile, showing that she was missing a tooth.

"Hey, sweetie." Link said, bending down to pick the girl up. "How's my little warrior?"

"Good! I was playing cards with grandpa!"

"Oh you were, were you? Were you winning?"

"Yeah!"

Link looked over at Talon. He nodded, ashamedly.

"That's great!" Link said, stifling a laugh. He daughter back down onto her feet."Hey, guess what I brought you?"

"YOU GOT ME SOMETHING!?!?" The tyke yelled.

"Linkle," Talon called from across the room. "Inside voices. Mama's tryin' t' sleep."

"Sorry, grandpa. Sorry, Papa."

"It's okay, sweetie." Link accepted. He snapped his fingers by his ears, just in case they decided to stop working after his daughter's outburst. "Close your eyes and hold out your hands."

Linkle did so, bobbing up and down and giggling all the while. Link placed the sheathed sword into her little hands.

"Okay, open your eyes."

Linkle looked down at her gift, and nearly screamed before remembering her grandfather's earlier warning. She opted to squeal in excitement. A dog could be heard barking in the distance when she finished.

"I love it, I love it, I looooove it! Thank you, papa!" She hugged her father, with a big smile on her face. 

"Alright, now you go get ready. We're gonna be leaving for class soon," He said. "And no sword until we get there, okay?"

"Okaaaay!"

The little girl ran upstairs to her room, her reddish, dirty blonde hair bouncing with each step. Link sat down in the chair across from Talon.

"You sure it's a good idea t' give a hyperactive nine year old a sword?" Talon questioned.

"Hey, some of the pages at the castle start as early as six," Link replied. 

"But don't y'all usually start 'em with wooden ones?"

"Yeah, but she's already been promoted. She's been practicing with the older kids for a few weeks now, so I feel like she's earned it."

"If ya say so." Talon accepted. "But she'd better not be usin' it in my house, y' hear?"

"Couldn't agree more, pop."

Linkle returned from upstairs, quickly coming down the flights before jumping over the last few. She wore a green vest over a white cotton shirt, with a forest green skirt, brown gloves, and boots. At a quick glance, she looked just like a younger Link. She ran over to the table where her father and grandfather sat.

"Papa, can you do my hair?" She asked.

"Sure thing." Link complied. He took his daughter's hair, and began styling it into two braids that ran down in front of her ears. "There you are, sweetie."

"Thank you, papa! Okay, I'm ready to go!"

"Didja get yer bow?" Talon, asked.

Linkle stopped and thought before quickly rushing back up to her room. Link and Talon shared a laugh.

"Yep, that's you and Malon's daughter, alright."


	3. Basic Training

**Hyrule Castle -**

Link and Linkle made their way through the castle and out to an open field near the moat. A crowd of knights were practicing drills and taking part in sparring matches. Further to the north, mages were practicing their spell-casting, looks like today's lesson was basic fire magic. Ralph's signature red hair and blue cloak could be pointed out even from the distance Link was standing. Directly across the water sat the castle town prison, an average sized building located on an island separated from the rest of the town. It doesn't get too much use, as the amount of crime within the town is rather low. 

"There's the man." Ganondorf called over to Link. 

"Hey, sorry if I'm a little late." The champion replied to his comrade. "Didn't miss too much, did we?"

"Nah, we just did some basic stuff, nothing to worry over." The Gerudo man turned his attention toward Linkle. "Heya, kiddo!"

"Hi, Uncle Ganon! Look what papa got me!" Linkle said, showing Ganondorf her sheathed sword. 

"Well would you look at that, you got a special sword!"

"Yeah! Papa says I couldn't open it til we got here, but now we are!"

"Well take it out, let's see what kind you got."

Linkle took the sword by its handle and slowly unsheathed it. It was a basic design, nothing too special. But to Linkle, having her own actual sword meant the world to her.

"Ooooooooh." Linkle and Ganondorf said together. Link smiled.

"That's a good sword you've got there, Linkle. Be sure to take good care of it, alright?"

"Yes sir!" Linkle said, sheathing her sword yet again. 

"Yeah, I figured that since she's been doing so well in her classes, that she deserved to have her own custom made blade." Link informed.

"Oh yeah, she's been a real treat to have. She and Kindall get along well, I'll tell you that much."

"Hey, dad." A young voice called.

"Speaking of," Link said.

A young girl, only a handful of years older than Linkle, approached them. Her vibrant, flaming red hair blew in the wind. She wore black clothing underneath golden armor pieces. A spear was slung over her shoulders.

"Hey, Kindall, what's up?" Ganondorf asked his daughter.

"Everyone's in formation and stretches are done, what's next?" she said.

"I'll be over there in a little bit, I just gotta finish talking to Link, here. Tell your company to get their weapons ready, we're gonna be doing some sparring today, alright?"

"Cool."

"Hi, Kin-duh!" Linkle greeted her fellow knight in training.

"Hey, Linkle. Ready to work, today?"

"Yeah, yeah! Papa even got me my own sword!"

The two girls made their way over to their squad.

"Kindall's getting _big."_ Link said. "How old is she, now? Eleven, right?"

"Yeeup. Her birthday was last week."

"Dang, I remember first seeing her when she was a baby. That hair only gets wilder as the years go on."

"Yeah, she gets that from her dad. So, you working with us today, or are you gonna be with the higher ups?"

"Latter, we're gonna be covering some of those more complex moves."

"Hidden skills?" Ganondorf asked.

"Hidden skills. Really looking forward to how they react to the Great Spin. Love that move."

"I'm more of a Mortal Draw kind of guy."

* * *

Kindall and Linkle fell into formation, the former in front of the formation, while the latter closer to the back since she was one of the last to join in. 

Beside Linkle stood a smaller girl. She had lavender hair wore a red tunic. Her red eyes were beginning to glaze over with boredom.

"Pssst," Linkle whispered to her. "Hi, Anju." 

"Mmm." Anju acknowledged.

Linkle and Anju were the two youngest members in the formation, being nine and eight years old respectively. Yet their skilled matched up with some of the older members in their company. 

Ganondorf eventually made his way over to the front of the formation, joining the other instructors. One of which was, of course, Sir Rusl. The other being Captain Eagus.

"Alright," Eagus began. "Today, we're gonna be doing some sparring matches. Each of you are gonna get a weapon of your choice, and find a battle buddy, and you're going to take part in two on two matches."

"While the matches are going on," Rusl added. "We will be pulling some of you aside to do some tests. See what all you're good with, what you aren't, and assist accordingly."

"Afterward," Ganondorf chimed in. "We're gonna join up with the mage class and you'll have the chance to learn from them. We all clear?"

The formation sounded off a unified " _HUUUUUUUUUUH-YAH!"_

"That's what I like to hear," Ganondorf said with a grin. "Weapons are over by the wall, meet back over here when you have one. Fall out."

The formation fell out and began making their way over to the wall that separated the field from the castle.

"OOOOOOh, I can't wait to try out my new sword today, Anju!" Linkle said with excitement. "What're you gonna use?"

"Uh," Anju said. "I dunno. Spear?"

Anju's voice was very soft. She was more of an actions over words type of girl. In fact, aside from Linkle, Anju didn't really say much to any of her fellow knights. She simply stared into the middle distance and let her mind wander.

"Yeah, spears are cool. They're like swords, but the handles are, like, super long."

"Yeah."

The two girls went up to the wall, and Anju picked out her weapon. A simple traveler's spear. 

"So, you wanna be battle buddies?" Linkle asked.

"Sure," Anju replied to her friend. " Probably wasn't gonna have one if you weren't."

"Aw, Anju. Why not?"

Anju shrugged and began heading back out into the field. 

Many other trainees were returning as well, each with their own weapons in hand. The instructors all had their own weapons as well. Captain Eagus had a basic soldier's broadsword. Sir Rusl had a knight's broadsword. Ganondorf had a Gerudo scimitar in one hand, and a moonlight scimitar in the other, both being weapons notably used by most Gerudo warriors. Finally, Kindall had a simple soldier's spear.

"Everybody got a battle buddy?" Captain Eagus asked. Each of the trainee's stood in pairs of two, save for one. A young, blond boy shyly stood off to the side on his own. He held a traveler's sword by his side.

"Colin," Sir Rusl asked the boy. "You alright, son?"

Colin didn't look up from the ground. Ganondorf made his way over to him. He towered over the shy young lad before kneeling down to his level.

"You alright, bud?"

"Nobody wanted to be my partner."

Ganondorf smiled. "That's alright, I'll be your battle buddy."

Rusl smiled over the thought of a giant like Ganondorf helping his son. 

"Alrighty, now everybody has a partner. So now, we're gonna have two teams come over here and have a match. The goal is to either disarm your foe, or make them surrender. If we see any poor sportsmanship, they will have a word with us. We clear?"

The crowd sounded off yet again.

"Excellent," Sir Rusl began. "Kukiel and Gulley, come on up."

A young brown haired girl made her way up to the sparring field joined by a boy wearing a green cap. The former wielded a sword, while the latter held a sledgehammer.

"You two will be up against Ivan and Jan."

A young man in a red cap and a blue haired boy shared a high five before hopping up and stood facing their opponents. Ivan wielded a spear, while Jan had a boomerang.

"Alright, you all ready? Get set...."

The four trainees readied their weapons. The onlookers waited with baited breath. A small handful even had their rupee wallets out, taking bets on which team would win.

" **Begin!** "

Kukiel and Ivan immediately clashed their weapons together as the crowd of trainees began cheering their respective teams on. Gulley attempted to assist his partner, only to be intercepted by Jan's boomerang. Ivan pushed Kukiel to knock her off her balance, before making his way toward Gulley. The green hatted boy regained his footing in time to parry Ivan's attack. Kukiel turned her attention toward Jan, who was getting ready to fling his boomerang toward Gulley again. She quickly made her way toward him, only for him to dodge her efforts. 

"Wow wow wow!" Linkle exclaimed among the crowd of trainees watching the match. "Isn't this so cool, Anju?"

"Mmhmm." Anju hummed. 

As soon as he found the chance, Jan tossed his boomerang toward Gulley in an attempt to throw him off guard, but with a single well timed swing, Gulley smacked the boomerang toward Kukiel, who successfully caught it in her free hand.

"That's out!" Eagus called. 

Jan made his way back toward the crowd, now weaponless. His partner simply rolled his eyes.

"That's what you get for choosing a _boomerang_." Ivan spat. "I can do this on my own."

Gulley gave a strong swing toward Ivan, who dodged the attack and retaliated with a well timed smack with the handle of his spear, right on one of Gulley's fingers. 

"Ow!" Gulley exclaimed, pulling his hands away from his weapon. 

"That's out!" Eagus called again.

"Aw, what?"

"You heard him, that's out." Ivan teased.

"Oh come _on,_ there's gotta be something about going for the hands."

"Doesn't matter, you're out. See ya."

Gulley stormed off in a huff, leaving his partner to fend for herself.

"You got this, Kukiel!" He called to her.

The young girl stood, waiting for Ivan to make a move.

"Oof, she's at a pretty big disadvantage there." A trainee said.

"Yeah, sword versus spear? This is in Ivan's favor." Another chimed in.

"Unless Kukiel can pull off something slick, I don't think she's got this one."

Linkle and Anju watched the match go on. Linkle was uncertain of who might take the win, while Anju simply calculated possible moves in her head.

The battle continued, with Kukiel struggling to find an opening in Ivan's attacks. Any time she tried closing in, he retaliated with a wide swing.

"What's the matter? Can't get in?" Ivan taunted. "I'm right over here, just gotta close in and get me."

Kukiel smirked, before taking a few steps back. Ivan stepped forward.

"Don't run away, now, we've got a a fight goin-"

Suddenly, Kukiel bolted directly toward Ivan, nearly catching him off guard. He began another wide swing. Kukiel then lept high over Ivan's head, landing behind him. He quickly turned around and put up his guard, in an attempt to block any attack Kukiel had coming. 

_Just as planned,_ Kukiel thought to herself. She positioned her blade between Ivan and his spear, before quickly pulling back, disarming the red hat wearing boy. "YOINK!"

"That's out!" Eagus called, as the crowd erupted into a roar of cheers. 

"Excellent work, Kukiel." Sir Rusl praised.

"Thank you, sir!" Kukiel said before joining Gulley again. The two high fived.

Ivan sat down beside Jan and his other friends, Jin and Jun-Roberto.

"You really messed that one up, huh?" Jun-Roberto mocked.

"Shut up, Jun." Ivan snapped back.

* * *

**Hyrule Castle, Great Hall -**

"Completely absent?" General Impa asked.

"Yes, ma'am." Lana responded. "No signs of life or essences of any sort. It's as though what had been sealed had never been present within the blade to begin with."

"We figured you'd be one of the better people to come to about something like this," Queen Rayo added. "The Sheikah tribe are well known for their mystical arts and sealing magic. Would it at all be possible for something to escape a spell so fortified?"

"Normally, the answer would be no. However, considering that the sealed being held a piece of the Triforce, who knows what could be possible."

"Would another piece bearer not counteract any efforts?" Lana questioned. 

"Now _that_ is something I don't have an answer to. The Sheikah race have strong connections to the Goddesses, and therefore the Triforce and its fragments. Yet we know not entirely what they are all capable of. Only the Goddesses and those who possess the pieces would know for sure."

"Well, we have three wielders in our ranks now, do we not? Would it hurt to ask?"

"Getting _anything_ out of the Princess Zelda proves to be a task, let alone information about the Piece of Wisdom she holds," Link I informed. "So I don't see that happening anytime soon. As for the Gerudo, he seems willing enough to cooperate. But as far as we know, he may be the escaped essence that we're all worried about to begin with."

"That's quite the assumption you're making there, Haig. You know how the Gerudo legend goes, he may be a completely different reincarnation altogether."

"All the more reason to keep wary about him. He seems nice now, but who knows what plans he has. Throughout history, every Gerudo man with that cursed name became a scourge upon our Kingdom."

"Haig, that's quite enough." General Impa said. "We can't pin the blame on him without proper evidence."

"Sir Haig, I noticed you didn't bring attention toward the wielder of the Piece of Courage." Lana pointed out. "Was there any particular reason for that? I'm sure Sir Kenway would be more than happy to..."

"I deem it unnecessary to bring attention toward those who do not deserve their titles. A fool needn't possess such a symbol of courage. I'd sooner acknowledge a Goron who tried to swim."

Impa sighed. "I suppose I can ask him myself, then."

"I can do it, Lady Impa." Lana volunteered. "If it makes things easier for you."

"Much appreciated, Lana. Well, now that we have that in motion, we have another issue on our hands."

"Tanagar?" Queen Rayo asked.

"Precisely. It's been over a decade since their last attack, and they've been quiet up until recently. The malicious energies from before have been wafting through the air, again. If that isn't a sign of their return, I don't know what is."

"I don't understand why we don't just go down there and snuff them out ourselves." Link I argued. "A decade is far too long for them to keep stewing, if you ask me. All we've been doing is giving them more time to plan their next attack."

"Yes, but who's to say that's not exactly what they want?" Queen Rayo countered. "We'd be falling right into their hands yet again. Considering the help they had last time, who knows what else we could be up against."

"You mean that blue armored knight? Please, my grandson simply wasn't strong enough to handle them. I suppose that's what we get for allowing a child to go off on his own."

"Link helped save that village."

"He was reckless and nothing more."

Suddenly, a voice came up from the other end of the hall. "You don't give that boy enough credit."

Everyone turned to its origin. A man wearing a Royal Guard uniform walked toward them. His face was covered by a yellow, fox-like mask. He had short, purple hair, with a bang that hung over the mask.

"I don't recall asking your opinion, Dotour." Link I snapped. "And why do you insist on wearing such a childish mask about the castle? Are you, or aren't you a man?"

"As though I need your permission to express my opinion or self, Haig." The masked man replied. "It is no fault of my own that you cling to such petty frustrations."

"Excuse me?"

"We all know you hold such ill will toward your grandson simply because he was chosen by the gods and you were not. He continues to prove his worth to the kingdom with each passing day, yet you choose to bask in the glory of saving the kingdom one time, and sit on your heels believing it gives you some grandiose position of power, and the ability to speak to or about whomever, however you please."

"Another word out of you and I'll have your tongue, Dotour." Link I threatened.

"I've witnessed evictions less empty than your threats, Haig."

"Kafei," Impa intervened. "What is it that you're here for? Certainly not only to insult Sir Haig."

"Yes," The masked man assured. He removed his mask, revealing a pale face highlighted by red eyes. "I have received word that our allies in the Hebra region to the east have new information on the artifact we have been researching."

"Artifact?" Lana asked.

"Yes," Impa said. "A weapon that was supposedly lost after the sealing of the Demon King many years ago."

"Oh boy," Queen Rayo said with a chuckle. "We've come full circle. This weapon was used by the Demon King in his quest for power. In fact, it's what corrupted him, turning him _into_ the Demon King to begin with."

"I see."

Queen Rayo suddenly got an idea.

"Kafei, do we have info on where the artifact is currently located?"

"We do, and I intended to take a crew of soldiers with me to travel to its whereabouts."

"Hold that thought. Lana, fetch me Sir Kenway, Dragmire, and Prince Labrynna. Tell them to meet me in the conference room ASAP. Impa, Kafei, you're coming too."

"On it, milady!" Lana said before making her way out to the training field.

"I believe I have an idea as to where this is going." Impa said.

"As do I," Link I added. "Which is precisely why I shall be taking my leave, now."

* * *

Linkle's blade clashed against her opponent's. Despite her smaller stature, she was holding her own with little effort. Suddenly, Anju approached quickly from behind, putting their opponent in a rough spot. There was no escape from the two trainee girls.

"I give, I give." The older trainee said.

"And that's the match." Captain Eagus announced, setting off the crowd of onlookers into an eruption of cheers.

Linkle and Anju bumped fists, with Linkle making a noise to accompany it, before making their way back over toward the rest of their fellow trainees. 

"Excellent work today, everyone," Sir Rusl began. "You all showed great displays of sportsmanship, and all your skills have shown improvement."

"And you all got your tests done, too!" Ganondorf added. "So now we're done for the day. If you guys would li- hey, hey, Ivan. You guys aren't dismissed yet, who told you you could leave?"

Ivan and his friends fell back into formation.

"As I was saying," Ganondorf continued. "If any of you would like, you can attend the mage class further up the way to learn some weapon enchantment. Otherwise you're free to go. _Now_ you can fall out."

The formation disbanded as many of the trainees went their separate ways. Lana came jogging in from the direction of the castle, making her way up to Ganondorf.

"Captain Dragmire." She said.

"Oh, hey there, Ms. Lana. Whaddya need?"

"The Queen requests your presence, _kind sir_." Lana said with a smile.

"Well then, I suppose I _shan't_ keep her waiting, then." He replied, faking a posh voice.

"She also wants Sir Kenway and Prince Labrynna to attend, so I'll be sure to get them too."

"Gotcha, thanks for the heads up. Hey, Kindall!"

"Yeah, dad?" Ganondorf's daughter called back.

"I'm going to a meeting, you got things here, yeah?"

"Uh, yeah. I think we just need to put the weapons away. Oh, and can I go train with Captain Ghanti today?"

"Sure thing, kiddo. You be good, alright?"

"Yes sir!"

Kindall then went about her duties, with Linkle and Anju soon joining her.

"Alrighty, I'll be off. You have a good one, Lana."

"You too, sir."

Ganondorf made his way back into the castle, while Lana looked around for Link and Ralph, who were standing beside the wall, having a conversation.

"You think anybody has ever tried the Mortal Draw while their sword is enchanted with like, I dunno, a fire spell?" Ralph asked.

"I feel like that'd just be overkill," Link said. "But now I feel like I have to try it."

"Well, let's be real, here, the goal is making sure the monster goes down and stays down, right? SO if the Mortal Draw doesn't kill them outright, shocker I know, then the flames will do more damage."

"See, it's that type of thinking that got you the Royal Tactician job."

"Excuse me, sirs." Lana interrupted. 

"Oh, hey Lana. What brings you here?"

"I'm glad you asked, Link! The Queen needs you two in the conference room. Something about new information on an artifact or something."

"Oh, we finally got more news on that?"

"On what?" Link asked. "And what artifact?"

"You'll learn when we get there. Thanks for the heads up, Lana. Link, you wanna tell your kid about the meeting?"

"Linkle's training with Ghanti, today. I'll give her word to take her home afterward."

"Got it."

The two knights then jogged their way into the castle.


	4. On To Holodrum

**Hyrule Castle, Conference Room -**

Ganondorf made his way into the conference room. Link and Ralph were already sitting inside with the others.

"Oh good, you're all here, now." King Nyles began. "Real quick, before we get into things, you've met Sir Dotour and Sir Zephire, yes?"

"Kafei Dotour, pleased to meet you." Kafei greeted, shaking Ganondorf's hand.

"Ganondorf Dragmire, call me Ganon. I believe I've seen you around the castle a few times, but I've never met you formally."

"Well, I look forward to working with you."

A bird-like man stood beside Kafei. He outstretched a wing to shake with Ganon.

"Fuugol Zephire, Rito Champion and Hebra region messenger ten years strong. Nice to meet you, Ganon." He said.

"Likewise! I don't think I've seen you around before."

"That's not uncommon. We Rito folk tend to keep to ourselves these days. But I took it upon myself to act as the messenger for us for the past decade."

"Well, thank you for your work!"

The three men sat down together at the table.

"Right, now let down to brass tacks." Queen Rayo began. "We've gotten word from our allies in the Hebra region that a fragment of an artifact we've been searching for has been located."

"Before we get too far into things, which artifact is this?" Link asked. "In case there's anybody here who doesn't know what it is."

"Yeah, I can't say I'm familiar with it," Fuugol said. "I just gave the word that we found it, but I don't even know what 'it' is."

 _Thank goodness it wasn't just me,_ Link thought to himself.

"Yes, of course." Impa agreed. "This artifact is the weapon used by the Demon King decades ago during his last attack on the kingdom; The Fiend's Trident."

Ganon perked up. "Wait, the _Fiend's_ Trident?"

"Yes, are you familiar with it?" King Nyles asked.

"There were stories of a man who went against Gerudo law by crossing the desert, entering the Pyramid, and stealing a trident. But more often than not, that was called the Trident of Power."

"If I had to guess, it was changed in translation, or maybe just different views depending on the culture." Ralph theorized. "Something seen as a symbol of power in one place could be seen as a weapon of destruction in another. It's most likely the same one."

"Let's get back on track," King Nyles said. "So the Fiend's Trident has been located somewhere then?"

"A piece of it has." Impa corrected. "Supposedly it was severed years ago, and our allies in the Gerudo Desert are in possession of another one of the pieces."

"So the goal is to get the pieces of the trident, and return it to the rightful owners in the Gerudo regions."

Ganondorf had a troubled look on his face.

"Well, it shouldn't be too much of an issue, should it?" Link asked. "As long as those pieces get back to where they belong, we should be good."

"You would think that, but apparently each separate piece can contain a large amount of power on its own." Kafei informed. 

"And that's where Tanagar comes in." said Impa. "With them starting to stir again, we're worried that they might be looking for the pieces as well."

"Well, how would they know where to find them?" Fuugol asked. "Heck, unless they have a Gerudo in their ranks, they probably wouldn't even know the trident exists."

"Bingo," Queen Rayo interjected. "Tanagar's forces are being led by a Gerudo witch, fought against her myself. So there could be a chance that they're preparing to begin their own search for the trident pieces. And the last thing we need is for a band of mindless monsters to possess power like that. So, where can we begin our search, Fuugol?"

Fuugil nodded before bringing a large map out of a pouch on his belt, and opening it on the table in front of everyone. The map depicted a large portion of the world.

"So, I can say without failure right now, excluding the one in possession of the Gerudo people right now, we won't be finding any of the other pieces in Hyrule. Our sources say that there have been dark gatherings in the country of Holodrum, which isn't common for that country at all. If I had to guess, it's because of the trident fragment."

Fuugol pointed at a continent to the east of Hyrule's, across a large body of water. 

"Holodrum, huh?" Ralph said. "Sister country of Labrynna, right there. I've been there a handful of times when I was younger. Honestly one of the nicest places you can go."

"Been eons since they've had any trouble, according to the locals." King Nyles added. "Long before The Convergence, so it's a big deal if something is happening there of all places."

"Gotcha," Link said. "So my guess is that it's small time stuff for now. Nothing _too_ crazy in terms of the trident's effects, so we should get there before that changes."

"Correct. Which is why you all are going as a team. We want our best handling this situation, and who better than our current Champions, Royal Tactician, and top Royal Guard?"

"I suppose now all we need is a method of having you all travel to Holodrum." The Queen said. 

"I'm pretty sure Autumnshore has some sailors," Link suggested. "We could pay one of them to help us out."

"Splendid," King Nyles said. "The sooner we acquire the trident piece, the better. I wish you all good luck on your journey. Please be wary and return to the kingdom safely."

"Good luck to you all." Queen Rayo concluded. 

* * *

**Lon Lon Ranch, Later that night.... -**

Malon, Link, Talon and Ganondorf sat at the kitchen table. Ralph was standing nearby, leaning against a wall. Linkle and Kindall were hanging out upstairs. 

"Holodrum, huh?" Malon said, kicking back in a chair with her boots up on the table. "Ain't been there in a hot minute. Last time I think was when I was around 9 or so. Family went there for vacation."

"Yeah, it's a nice place for r&r," Ralph agreed. "Doesn't matter when you go, it's always beautiful and they always have something to do. Hell, people take winter vacations there, sometimes."

"Well, they don't call it the Land of Season for nothing." Ganondorf added. 

"So what's takin' you all there? Knightly getaway?"

"A mission, actually." Link corrected. "Apparently there's an artifact there that belongs to the Gerudo people. We're tasked to get it back before things go wrong."

"Dang, all the way out there? This might be the furthest you guys have gone since becoming knights. Most of y'alls work has been in Hyrule's regions."

"Yeah, well I guess after twenty years of being in their ranks, they'd have to finally let us leave the nest at some point." Ralph joked. 

"Tomorrow we're gonna go to Akkala to see if we can find any ships that could get us there."

"Maybe your dad could help?" Ganondorf asked.

Link's father had spent part of his life as a seafaring pirate. When he realized that knighthood wasn't his thing, he took off and headed toward the water. The majority of treasures and weapons he had were all from his swashbuckling days in his youth. 

"Yeah, pops might have somethin' for y'all." Malon said. "He's always been a helpin' hand to the ranch, even from all the way over there."

"It's cuz he knows I love you, and he loves me. So it all works out in the end for us." Link said, smiling at his wife.

"Quit bein' such a sap, lover boy." 

"How's he been by the way?" Talon asked. "Stayin' outta trouble, I'd hope."

"He and mom are good, running their business as usual. They want us to come by more often, but you know how it is with work."

"I hear ya. Them two's a real hard workin' pair, that's fer sure. S'pose I could say the same 'bout all o' us."

"I dunno if I want to bother him too much about our mission, though. He's got more important things to worry about."

"Aw, come on, Link. I'm sure he'd be more than willin' to help, even at a moment's notice."

Everyone in the room agreed. 

"So, do you know how long you guys are gonna be gone? Gotta plan ahead if I'm gonna be watching Linkle and Kindall the whole time."

"Oh, Kindall is gonna be at the castle," Ganondorf said. "I don't want her to be any trouble for you if need be."

"Nonsense, she's more than welcome to stay here. Never been a trouble a day in her life with a man like you raising her. That bein' said, I'd be putting her to work helpin' around the ranch."

"Hey, she's a hard worker just like her dad, I'm sure she wouldn't mind. Can barely get her away from the training fields half the time, what can I say?"

"Even got the young'uns workin' hard!" Talon said, laughing. "They gon' be jus' like y'all when they grow up."

"Back to the topic at hand, folks." Ralph said, getting back on track. "We need a boat."

"Yeah yeah, don't get yerself twisted, Princey." Malon mocked. "Some of us got kids to worry about."

Ralph laughed.

A knock was heard, coming from the front door.

"I got it." Ralph announced.

The mage opened the door, and outside stood a large goron.

"Hey, Ralph."

"There you are," Ralph greeted. "Guys, Igneous is here!"

"Cool, bring him on in." Link called back.

Ralph turned his attention back to the goron man. The two looked at each other, then to the small door frame, then back to each other.

Now, for those who aren't familiar, goron people are BIG, more often than not possessing a large stature with a hefty weight to boot. He wasn't fitting through the door without doing some damage.

"Uhhhhh....How- How's this gonna..." Igneous stammered.

"Oh, right!" Malon called from the dining room. "Guys, we can take this outside, it's a beautiful night anyway. Sorry about that, Ig."

"No trouble at all, Ms. Malon."

"Well, I'mma turn in fer the night." Talon said. "I'll let the gals know y'all are outside."

"Gotcha. Have a good night, Paw."

Malon and the knights all made their way outdoors while Talon made his way upstairs.

"Sorry again for the door troubles, Igneous."

"No, no, truly it's okay." He assured. "So, how's this workin out?"

"We're gonna head to Autumnshore early tomorrow to see if anyone's willing to sail us out to Holodrum." Ralph said.

"Right, right. Guess I'd better hype myself up, now. Not exactly best friends when it comes to sailing, after all."

"I understand, Goron people aren't exactly the best swimmers."

"No we are _not_."

"So it's settled, we're all gonna meet in Mabe before heading out, cool?" Link said.

Everyone confirmed the plan. Ganondorf briefly went back inside to inform Kindall that she would be staying with Malon in his absence. She happily accepted. He then made his way back to Hyrule Castle along with Ralph. Igneous rolled his way back toward his home at Goron City, Death Mountain. With their guests gone, Link and Malon made their way back indoors to get their rest.

"You comin' to bed, soon?" Malon asked.

"Uh, yeah, I'll be a bit." Link said.

Malon made her way upstairs while Link sat back at the dining room table. He took off his left glove, revealing his birthmark. The triangular mark, the symbol of courage given to him by the goddesses themselves, stared back at him. He sighed. He was given the role of leader for this mission, a position that worried him.

"You're the Hero of Courage reborn. Nobody else could fulfill this role. This is your destiny, Link." 

Impa's words echoed in Link's mind. And while him being the reincarnated hero is true, it wasn't a fate he desired. Yet he knew, whether he chose it or not, it was his fate to protect his home as its champion.

The knight's mind continued to wander on and on throughout the night. He eventually made his way to his wife's room, fighting himself to sleep.

* * *

_**Autumnshore Harbor, the next day....-** _

The sun of dawn broke over the mountains that lined the Akkala region. Shops were beginning to open up as small numbers of townsfolk began making their way around. Fishermen and sailors alike began prepping their boats for travel, filling their ships with freight.

At the edge of the docks stood the Royal Knight, Kafei Dotour. He stared out to the sea. His daughter, Anju, was fast asleep in his arms. A yellow, fox-like mask shielded her face from the light of dawn.

Some time passed and a horse drawn carriage approached the harbor. Beside it walked the knights tasked with the mission of traveling to Holodrum;

The Hyrulean Champion, and Hero of Courage, Link Kenway III,

The Gerudo Champion, Ganondorf Dragmire,

The Royal Tactician, and Prince of Labrynna Kingdom, Ralph Labrynna

The Goron Champion, Igneous,

The Sheikah Champion, and General of the Hyrulean Army, Impa

and flying high above was the Rito Champion and ambassador, Fuugol Zephire.

Inside the carriage was Link's wife, and the owner of Lon-Lon Ranch, Malon Kenway, Link and Malon's daughter, Linkle Kenway, and Ganondorf's daughter, Kindall Dragmire. Linkle was fast asleep while Kindall fought to stay awake in order to see her father off. 

"There you all are." Kafei said.

"Hey, Kafei." Link responded. "Hopefully we didn't keep you waiting for too long."

"It's no trouble. The ocean is relaxing this time of day."

"Good to hear. You take Anju over to Malon and we can discuss further."

Kafei complied, carrying his daughter over to Malon's carriage and placing her inside, as she too would be staying with Malon, but wanted to see her father off on his mission as well. She passed out halfway to Akkala. Kindall sleepily waved to Kafei, he responded with a nod of acknowledgement. 

"So, where are we goin' for grub?" Igneous asked. "That was a long walk, and we didn't exactly have time for breakfast."

"No kidding." Ganondorf agreed. "I can only imagine the boat ride is gonna be even longer, so big boy need food _now_."

"Yeah, we should eat before we look for a boat, pretty sure it's gonna be a bit before any sailors are even fully ready to set off." Ralph advised. He patted Link on the shoulder. "Hey, chief, we're gonna go get some breakfast. Keep an eye on your stone."

"Cool." Link confirmed.

Ganondorf took a quick second to go bid his daughter farewell before joining Igneous and Ralph on their breakfast hunt. Link made his way over to the carriage as well, to see his wife and daughter off. Malon had fallen asleep at the reins, snoring lightly.

"Uh, honey?" Link said.

"Nshss, wha?" Malon said, jolting awake. 

"Morning, sunshine. You gonna be alright getting home?"

"Yeah, yeah," Malon assured with a yawn. "This downtime an' all the water sounds put me out. I should be good when we're back on the road."

"You be sure to get some more rest when you get back, okay?"

"Ain't gotta tell me twice."

The couple shared a brief embrace followed by a quick kiss, before Malon and the girls set off.

"She's a trooper, that Malon." Impa said. "She's done a lot for our solders in ways she probably doesn't even realize. Hope you're treating her well, Kenway."

"I treat that woman like royalty, General. She's taken care of me, so I return the favor."

"That's what I like to hear. Now then, boat."

"Yes, boat. If we ask around, we should probably be able to find someone who's willing to help us out."

"Then let's get to it." Fuugol said.

The remaining knights began going along the harbor, asking sailors for rides. Unfortunately, luck wasn't on their side, as the sailors they asked either weren't going in the direction they desired, or they didn't have enough room for all the knights. They continued asking around for a couple hours before deciding to take a break.

Pretty soon, Ganon, Igneous, and Ralph returned.

"Hey folks, any luck?" Ganon asked.

"Negative," Impa said. "If it wasn't for one reason, it was for another. So far we haven't had anybody who's able to take us."

"Well dang, what're we gonna do, then?" 

"It's still pretty early, maybe we could wait, see if anyone has any open boats later on." Ralph requested.

Soon after, Fuugol came flying from the south side of the harbor. 

"Guys, guys! I found someone who's willing to help." He said, landing in front of the others. "An old freight captain, and he's headed toward Holodrum. Big ship and everything, with a pretty sizable crew." 

"Oh cool! Thanks Fuugol, you're a life saver!" Link praised. "Lead the way."

The knights followed the Rito man to the dock where the freight ship sat. Men and women were loading up crates full of goods onto the ship. An older man stood beside the large boat.

"Ah, there ya are." He said, greeting Fuugol. "This ya crew?"

"Yes sir, thanks again for allowing us to travel with you guys. I'll be sure to cover the fare when we get there."

"It's no problem at all. I jus' think it's nice of ya to get a boat for ya buds, since ya Rito folks could just as easily fly all the way there if ya needed tuh. Well c'mon now, we'll me shovin' off soon."

The knights began making their way toward the boat, before being stopped by Ralph.

"Now hang on, guys." He said. "We should let Igneous get on, first. Make sure this thing can handle him, feel me?"

"Good thinking, Ralph. You're up, Ig."

"Thanks, Ralph." Igneous said. He timidly chose to sit along with all the freight. No damage was done, and the boat handled his weight almost effortlessly. Everyone cheered.

"Alright, now the rest of us can board."

The knights began making their way onto the ship, with Kafei, Fuugol, and Ralph stepping aboard first. Ganondorf began making his way forward, but was stopped by the captain.

"Now hold on there, big fella. Maybe let the smaller guys on first."

"Oh, uh, alright." Ganon complied. He stepped back and allowed the others to come forward. Once they were aboard, Ganondorf stepped forward, only to be stopped again.

"Sorry, bud. Ship's full."

"Wait, but I thought-"

"No buts, we ain't got anymore room. 'fraid you're gonna have to find another way tuh Holodrum."

Inside the ship, Link and Ralph took notice of how long it was taking for their ally to board.

"Sir, you said I could board if I let the others on first."

"Oh, no no no no no, I said to let them on first. Never said you could board."

"So then what-

"Hey, Ganon, what's the hold up?" Link called from the edge of the ship.

"You comin' or what?" Ralph added.

"I mean, I would certainly hope so!" Ganondorf called back. "Captain says the ship is full, so he isn't letting me board."

"Ship's full? The hell, there's plenty of room." Impa said. "Cap, what's the deal?"

"Sorry, Miss, but he's jus' too heavy. Ship won't handle a man of his sort."

"Too heavy?"

"Bullshit! You let a fully grown Goron on here no problem, but he's too heavy?" Ralph spat.

"Look, if you aren't gonna let our friend on board, we can just leave." Fuugol said, annoyed. "Cuz we aren't just gonna leave him behind."

"Fine by me." The captain sassed. "My crew an' I got business to handle anyway. Y'all have a fantastic day."

The knights all exited the boat, with Igneous climbing out of the freight area. They all watched as the ship began pulling away from the dock.

"What a poor example of a Hylian." Impa said. 

"People like him make me sick," Ralph added. "We've got enough to worry about as is, we don't need scum like him crawling around."

"Guess we'll have to wait for another chance at sea travel." Fuugol complained.

Link walked up to his Gerudo ally. 

"Hey, you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." Ganon said. "Sorry we weren't able to go so easily."

"It wasn't your fault, man. You can't control who you were born as, none of us can."

"I know, but my heritage makes me a target, what can I say?"

"That doesn't excuse their behavior, Dragmire." Impa said. "Gerudo or not, you matter just as much as the rest of us. You're a knight through and through, and for a _decade_ you have been proving that."

"Shame about all the fellow knights that follow that guy's mindset." Ralph added. "Say all they want, but as soon as you show how great you are, they shut up and cower away. Gets on my damn nerves."

"Thanks, guys." Ganon said. "It means a lot. Unfortunately, kind words aren't gonna get us overseas, so what's the plan?"

"I suppose all we _can_ do is continue asking around for sailors." Kafei said. "But I believe it is best take some time to rest. We _have_ been at this for a while, and not all of us have had food." 

"We could stop by my folks' shop," Link offered. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind helping us out."

The knights gathered themselves and began making their way up to the market.


	5. Salty Solution

_**Autumnshore Square -** _

The knights holed themselves up in a shop in town square. The took the time to fill up and assist Link's parents in opening up shop.

"We appreciate the help from you all," An older woman thanked. She tied her auburn hair up into a bun in preparation to assist Ganondorf and Impa with some heavy lifting. She was a heavier woman, yet she still managed to keep herself well enough to handle such tasks. 

"It's the least we could do, miss Evangeline." Ganon assured. "You gave us a place to collect ourselves, so we ought to return the favor."

"Not to mention your son being a big help to us." Impa added.

"I figured as much, he's always been a joy to work with ever since he was a young'un. He gets that from his father, I'm sure you're familiar, Impa."

"Yeah, he was a handful during his time as a knight, short as it was. But there's no denying he didn't contribute in big ways."

On the other side of the shop, Kafei and Ralph assisted Links II and III with some self stocking.

"You guys talkin' about me over there, Eve?" Link's father called to his wife.

"Yes we are!" She called back. "You gonna do somethin' about it?"

"Not at all!"

The couple laughed as they continued with their respective duties.

"So what's been up, bud? You and the folks takin a quick vaycay out on the east side of Hyrule?"

"Actually, dad, we're on a mission." Link corrected. "We're to head over to Holodrum to investigate some rumors on a specific artifact that-"

"Phew, Holodrum? Quite a ways away. How are you guys getting there?"

"That's the issue." Kafei interjected.

"We've been looking around town for anybody who could help us out with sea travel." Ralph said. "Every time we tried, we either didn't get anyone who could help or had an unfavorable result."

Link II frowned. He thought to himself for a bit.

"Honey, don't you know a few guys who have a ship?" Eve asked.

"Uhhhh, I dunno if he'd be available for anything like this," Link II answered. "And if so, who's to say he'd be willing."

"Who're you guys talking about?" Link asked.

"Oh, just a few of your father's old sailing buddies. I think they're supposed to be visiting sometime soon, honestly."

Link II had spent a number of years in his youth sailing around the world with a gang of pirates to distance himself from his knighthood. Mementos and souvenirs lined the walls of his shop, many of them having been sold as products. Weapons stolen from rival pirates and jewelry from sea floor plundering are also offered as goods here.

"Ehh, I'd only consider _one_ of them a 'buddy'. "

"That's good, maybe we can ask him to lend us a hand." Ralph suggested. "We just need to get there sooner than later."

"Right, the longer we take, the longer Holodrum is at risk." Ganondorf added.

"Unfortunately, I dunno when he planned on showing up. He just sort of pops up whenever and can leave just as suddenly."

"Well, in the event that he shows up, we'll have to ask." Impa said. 

Upon finishing getting the store stocked for the day, the knights made their way back outside, now joined by Link II. Eve chose to stay in the shop. The town of Autumnshore began waking up along with the rest of the world. Crowds of people were walking the streets as more shops opened their doors.

The knights began making their way back down to the harbor, led by Link's father.

"So who exactly is this seafaring partner of yours, Kenway?" Impa asked. "Was he a knight once?"

"Not as far as I know. He was someone I met while out and about, didn't get acquainted til we were on the same boat for a while."

"So what can we expect from him?" Link asked.

"Uh, I mean he's not like, a _super_ big deal, so you won't have to treat him like a superior or anything like that. He's just another guy. Comes from a long line of treasure hunters and sailors."

"Well hopefully he and his crew don't mind havin' a big ol' mass of Goron on their ship." Igneous joked. "That's the real test of ship quality." 

The knights make their way to the docks. Even more people were prepping their ships than earlier in the day. Looking among the boats, one caught their attention almost immediately. It was rather large, sporting a white color with red accents. 

"Huh, well there's a familiar sight." Link II said. "That's the ship he and I used to travel on. Normally when he used to stop by, he'd just kinda show up and leave when he had to, haven't seen this ship in ages."

"You said you guys sailed on it when you were younger, yeah?" Ralph asked. "Looks new to me. You'd think it'd wear down after some years."

"'S cuz I take care of my belongings."

The knights turned to see a group of people walking up to them. A large man, and a smaller woman, both wearing bandannas on their heads with swords at their hips. Leading them was a scruffy looking man in a blue coat. He wore a red scarf around his neck, and a large hat that cast a shadow over his eyes.

"Been some time, eh Kenway?" He said.

"Well well well, if it isn't the man himself." Link II said, turning to the man in the coat. "We meet again, Linebeck."

" _Captain_ Linebeck," the man corrected. "That vessel is mine now, and the crew along with it. Been some time since I last stepped on Autumnshore's docks, and a lot's happened since."

"Clearly. Been, what, 6 years?"

"Seven, same as the seas. I had a lot of ground to cover before I showed back up here to see my old shipmate again."

Linebeck tuned his attention toward the knights.

"And who're these folks? You got a crew of your own brewin'?"

"Uh, not quite-"

"We're Knights of Hyrule," Impa addressed, stepping forward presenting a greeting hand. "I'm General Impa, and I was hoping we'd be able to discuss matters on sea travel."

Linebeck returned Impa's handshake. "What did you have in mind?"

"We're currently on a mission to travel to the land of Holodrum. Urgent business. We have need of a vessel to get us there, and as you and Kenway have history, we figured we'd try asking you and your crew for assistance."

"I'll give it some thought. Lemme get a good look at your crew for a second."

Linebeck began making his way around the other knights.

"Well first of all, Goron. Any other pirate would normally think twice about allowing a literal mountain board their ship. But I believe my vessel is more than sturdy enough for you, big guy."

"Good to hear, means you've got a good ship." Igneous said.

"Ya damn right it does. I like ya already."

He looks toward Kafei and Impa next. "You two seem seasoned enough. You said you're a General, right lady?"

"Correct."

"So who's the vampire? Man looks like he hasn't seen a bed in years."

"Dotour just so happens to be one of our top Royal Knights. He's very skilled in his field, with years of experience under his belt."

".....You guys been feeding him?"

Kafei rolled his eyes. Linebeck then turned his attention to Ralph.

"What about you, Red, what's your story?"

"Magic. Tactics. Swordplay. I'm basically the brains of the group, here."

"That would be Prince Ralph of Labrynna," Impa chimed in again. "Royal Tactician of Hyrule."

"Wait, you're Prince of Labrynna but you work for the _Hyrule_ Kingdom? How'd that end up happening?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Damn, alright. Touchy subject, gotcha. And you, bird man?"

"Fuugol Zephire. Expert marksman and Rito Champion. I'm also the ambassador for the Hebra Region in western Hyrule, and I have a history of traveling across the land."

"Hoo boy, motormouth, this one. Well hey, we have the perfect place for you. The crow's nest! HA!"

Linebeck laughed to himself. Nobody joined him.

"Can- Can he say that?" Ganon asked. Link shrugged.

"I don't get it." Fuugol said.

"Oh, nothing, just a little pirate humor. *ahem* anyway-"

Linebeck stood in front of Ganondorf. The Gerudo man towered over the pirate captain.

"Whew-wee! The absolute size of this lad. You look like a real powerhouse. What's your name, man?"

"Ganondorf Dragmire, pleasure to meet you."

Linebeck's two accomplices' eyes widened.

"Huh, that name rings a bell. Where have I heard it before......eh, not important. Clearly you know how to use a sword, seeing as to how you've got two of 'em. Ship needed more muscle, anyhow. All we got so far is my man Alonzo over there."

He points to the taller pirate who joined him. He waves shyly at Ganondorf.

"Alright, looks like that's everybody, you've got quite the team here, Kenway....say, when'd you change clothes?"

"Uh, actually," Link II began, standing behind Linebeck. "That'd be my son you're talking to."

"Hi." Link said.

"Oh damn! Spitting image of your pops! Nice to meet ya, son! What did you say his name was?"

"Link."

"No, **_HIS_** name."

"Yes, Link."

"Link?"

"Yes."

"Like you?"

" _Yes_."

"Like you _and_ your dad?"

" _YES."_

"So Link, Link, and Link?"

"Yes, Linebeck, we're all named Link." Link II said laughing.

Everyone, save for Kafei and Ralph, laughed as well.

"Got a whole damn chain going on here, Kenway. I assume he's as good with a sword as you?"

"I'd say he's better." Ralph said.

"One of our best, honestly." Impa added."

"Damn, thanks guys!" Link II said.

"Well hey, the goal of having kids is to make sure they surpass you, right?"

"It's nice to meet you, Captain." Link said. "I hope it's not too much trouble for us to ask for your aid in our travels."

"Not at all, boy! Always willing to help out my old buddy, why don't you all climb aboard now, eh?"

The Knights followed Linebeck's word, with his accomplices following suit.

"You comin, Kenway?" He asked.

"Nah, this ain't my mission, this is all them. But do keep me updated, yeah? Those guys are like family to me."

"Certainly hope your son would be like family to you."

The two scruffy men shared a laugh before Linebeck climbed aboard his vessel, preparing to set off. Before long, the ship began pulling away from the harbor, leaving Link II behind.

* * *

_**Hyrule Castle, Royal Quarters -** _

Back at the castle, the staff were in a state of worry.

The King was confined to his quarters, as it would appear something had come over him. A sickness of sorts.

"I'm unsure as to what this could be, Your Highness." A doctor informed. "It's unlike anything documented in any medical record."

"He seems to possess feverish symptoms, perhaps it is little more than seasonal allergies?" Sir Rusl said.

"We have remedies for allergies in this castle, and none of them have been working." Queen Rayo said. "This is something different, and we need to figure out what. It's only been getting worse, and my husband can only feign his health for so long. He's strong, but not invincible."

"Perhaps it's something spiritual?" 

A younger knight, around seventeen, had stepped into the room. Blonde hair escaped from a white cap on their head, with a single red eye peeking out from behind it. Their face was covered by an orange cloth that acted as a scarf. Their outfit was a dark turquoise Sheikah garb. 

"Ah, Sheik! Thank goodness you're here."

"Milady." Sheik said, bowing to the Queen. 

"What's this you said about something spiritual?"

"My mother has stated that forms of spiritual magic can have an effect on people, perhaps the same is occurring with His Highness?"

"There's a chance, sure, but what even could it be? The Castle wards off all attempts of dark magic that could be entering from the outside."

"What about the possibility of the dark magic coming from within the castle walls, your highness?" The doctor asked.

"Impossible," Rusl said. "The castle mages would be able to detect it and expel it from the castle without delay. Even then, when they're educating the trainees on dark magic, they do it outside of the castle to express caution."

"If it isn't dark magic, maybe it's a curse of some sort."

"Based on what I've been told, curses are a form of dark magic. Falls under the same umbrella, I do believe, but I could be wrong."

Sheik was quiet for some time. They appeared to be focused on something.

"Something the matter, young one?" Queen Rayo asked.

"I've picked something up, Your Highness. It's difficult to discern, but there's certainly something. Not dark magic....but something far worse."

"Worse than dark magic? Can you trace it?"

"No, but it is in the castle. If my mother were here, we could perhaps gain a better grasp of what this could be."

"Your mother," Rayo began. "Do we have input on Impa's current whereabouts?"

"I've received word that she and the Champions have boarded a vessel some hours ago." Rusl informed. "They are on their way toward Holodrum as we speak."

"So she's out of our reach for now. Maybe we could begin asking around the staff, see if anyone else is able to feel what Sheik has. Thank you for your insight."

"Milady." Sheik said before leaving the room.

Outside, as Sheik made their way down the halls, they passed by Princess Zelda.

"Good afternoon, Your Highness." Sheik greeted in passing.

Zelda simple nodded in half acknowledgement, not taking her eyes away from the book she was reading. Its covers were obscured, her violet eyes darting along the pages.

Sheik stopped in their tracks, getting a chill as the Princess passed by, before continuing onward.


	6. Malicious Intent

**Tanagar Canyon -**

Ten years have passed since the attack on Hyrule Kingdom. 

At the head of the force was Vatusia, an escaped Gerudo convict who took it upon herself to show the world the power that her people had sought to wash away from their history. 

Betrayed by her people, at least in her own words, she was cast into the depths of the canyon to perish among its monsters. Yet she refused to die quietly, and instead longed for a chance to rise against the Gerudo, as well as the rest of the world. She joined forces with a mysterious hooded figure, three Sheikah traitors, and a legion of beasts to strike back at the Kingdom of Hyrule...

...Only to fail in their attempt.

Since then, Vatusia and her forces had been working in the shadows, weathering away at the land of Hyrule in smaller scaled, nigh uncoordinated attacks that could prove to be useful in the long run.

Each time, monsters would run amok in and around towns and cities. And each time, the Knights of Hyrule would strike back, fulfilling their duty to protect their lands.

* * *

Footsteps echoed through the nighttime canyon floor. The light from a lantern moving gently along its path. The low hums and growls of monsters surrounded the figure carrying the small flame, but they did not pursue. Rather, their focus was on the walls of the canyon. 

The figure reached the stronghold at the end of the canyon. The doors opened in front of them, behind them stood two dark blue moblins, clad in makeshift armor and wielding rusted weaponry. They bent down to take in the scent of the figure holding the lantern, before standing upright and stepping aside.

"Is that you, child?" a voice called from within the hall of the stronghold. "You were out later than usual."

Torches that lined the walls were suddenly ignited by a fireball that traveled swiftly out of the entrance to the back room. The light revealed thousands of monsters, hunkered down within the fortress. Their snarls filled the room as it became illuminated. 

"Yes," the figure said, their youthful voice echoing among the beasts. "I've brought more material to work with."

"Well bring it here, child!" The voice called again. "I haven't got all night."

The figure put out their lantern before quickly making their way to the back room where the statue of the Goddess Hylia stood tall. At the base, two people sat. A reddish black smog crept from the floor where they sat. They appeared to be performing a ritual of sorts.

"About time. Any longer and I may well have keeled over." Said one of the two. Her pale, blue-ish colored hands pressed firmly against the cold ground.

"Apologies, mother-"

"Ten years and you still fail to grasp that I am not your damned mother! As though I'd waste my body to spawn a pitiful excuse of a being, I'd sooner be consumed by these mindless beasts we call minions."

A bokoblin in the corner of the room whimpered at the woman's comment.

"Right....apologies, L-lady Vatusia." The figure corrected.

"Much better. And take that blasted thing off. Thought I taught you better than to obscure your face when addressing me."

The figure placed the lantern down and removed the mask obscuring them. A young girl's face was hiding behind it, her skin a was a dusty tan color, and her hair a dark-reddish brown.

"You're taking your time with those materials you said you brought."

"I'm sorry."

The girl made her way over to Vatusia and her hooded cohort. She tripped, nearly falling over, but was caught by a bokoblin. It grunted, as though telling her to be careful.

"Wow, had to be rescued by the lowest we've got, huh? We really know how to pick 'em."

"Must you comment on every error she makes?" The hooded figure said.

"I didn't ask for your input. I just want my stuff." 

Vatusia let out a cough as the girl approached with the materials. She sat down and placed them in front of her superiors. 

"Let's see here...more moblin guts, a couple keese wings, is that a ruby?"

The girl nodded.

"Huh, not bad. That could make for some good weaponry."

"Alternatively, it could be used to resist colder climates. Something we will need if we intend to travel further east as we initially planned."

"Fair enough, we'll find a use for it. The more we excavate the canyon the more stuff we'll find. Not to mention It'll make it easier to get more of our forces out in faster times without having to rely on teleportation magic."

"Yes, because _that_ is why you were so winded during our battle against the Hyruleans." The hooded figure mocked.

"You joke, but that skill takes a lot out of anyone, dark magic or not."

The doors to the stronghold open again, their echo startling the young girl.

"Oh good, the competent ones are back." Vatusia comments.

Three Sheikah warriors step into the hall. "Your words tickle me, Vatusia."

"The raid, Tekeshi, how did it go?"

"As expected." The lead of the three confirmed. "We managed to loot some more tools and escaped with little issue."

" _Little_ issue?"

"We lost a few of the monsters that accompanied us." said Akemi, the Sheikah woman. "But we managed to pick up their pieces before making our escape." 

The larger Sheikah man, Meng, lowered a large bag onto the ground, from it spilled food, metals, and weapons. The monsters in the room cheered at their accomplishment.

"What are you two working on, tonight?" Tekeshi asked, sitting down in front of the two leaders.

Vatusia slid a book that sat beside her forward. It was opened to a page with information on a powerful monster.

"A Lynel?"

"Our dark magic has been growing over the years. I feel as though we are at the point where stronger beasts such as these are within our range of expertise." The hooded figure informed.

"We've been trying for two days." Vatusia added, frustrated.

"That'd certainly give us the upper hand." Akemi said. "But how are we to get it out of the canyon without using too much dark magic? Wouldn't that cripple you again?"

Vatusia glared at the Sheikah woman briefly, before focusing her attention toward the ground yet again. "I'm willing to use up a bit of my strength if this were the outcome. But we first need to summon the damn thing before we get anywhere, and so far, we haven't had any luck."

She removed her hands from the ground, reducing the amount of dark smog that emanated from below. 

Meng turned his attention toward the young girl. Their eyes met.

"What of Desdemona?" he asked.

"What of what?"

"The child, Vatusia. What of her?"

"Oh, right. I suppose it's worth a shot. Give her some purpose rather than sit around like a rock all day."

"It would make sense." Tekeshi agreed. "She's the special one, after all."

The Tanagar forces initially had a multitude of children that they had abducted from their homes a decade ago. Desdemona was the only one remaining.

"I wouldn't call it special, lucky is more like it. What good is a survivor if they have nothing to show for it? But I suppose he deserves a chance."

Desdemona was confused. "Mo- Vatusia, what does he mean by special?"

"I suppose we'll just have to find out, won't we? Give me your hands."

Desdemona obeyed her superior and presented her hands. Vatusia then pressed them against the ground where hers once were, before joining her and the hooded figure in the ritual, her eyes closing. The Sheikah, as well as all the other monsters, stepped back so not to interrupt their work. Desdemona took note of Vatusia's eyes, and mimicked her by closing her own.

The dark smog returned, this time in a much larger quantity than ever before. The room began to glow a faint red.

Vatusia opened her eyes and began looking around the room.

 _This is new,_ she thought to herself. Her attention turned toward Desdemona. The small child immobile, barely breathing, as the influence of malice coursed through her body and into the earth beneath her. Vatusia smirked, before continuing the ritual.

A rush of wind enveloped the room, encircling the three dark mages. It gently pushed them outward to the edges of the circle on the ground upon which they sat. In front of them, the materials that Meng and Desdemona had gathered were enveloped by a dark, inky substance. It began to grow larger, as the dark smoke spiraled around it like a whirlwind. The winds in the room began to settle, as a large dark cloud hung in the air above the circle. 

Two large objects emerge from the cloud as it dispersed.

Standing tall on the circle were two large Lynels, large beasts with the characteristics of man, horse, and lion.

The stronghold erupted into roars and howls of celebration. The ritual had been a success. The Lynels surveyed the room full of monsters, seeming searching for something among the commotion. One looked down at Desdemona's unconscious body, having given out due to the stress of handling the malicious ritual. The other's attention was grabbed by Vatusia and the hooded figure, the former shakily climbing to her feet.

"Incredible." The hooded figure said. "It would appear that the child has more potential than you had initially led on."

Vatusia did not reply. Instead, she addressed the two beasts before her.

"You both will work with us, now. I understand your kind, you side with the strongest. Our forces will be the strongest this world has ever witnessed."

She knelt down, placing a hand onto the ground.

"The forces of Demise will blot out the light that these people have come to accept as their norm. With you and your kind aiding us, we will have no equal. Do you stand with us?"

The Lynels shared a look before kneeling before Vatusia, pledging their allegiance to the forces of Demise. The monsters continued their cheers, now joined by the Sheikah traitors.

The hooded figure turned their attention toward Desdemona, her body still laying off to the side.

* * *

Later, hours after the successful summoning,

The hooded figure sits alone atop the stronghold, feeling the wind blow through their cloak.

Desdemona lays behind them, motionless.

"Simply incredible, child." The figure said. "To think that a mere Hylian would be able to command malicious magic to such a degree. At such a young age, no less. Though I suppose age does not equate talent, as I myself should know."

The figure continued to stare out into the dark canyon. Below, monsters, joined now by their new Lynel companions, were patrolling the dusty grounds.

"Each and every one of these beasts contains that essence, that Malice. It gives us the power we need to rise once again into the world that we were cast out from. No mere creature can properly control such a force."

The hooded figure turns around, to face the young girl. She is now sitting up, still weak, but attentive.

"Yet here you sit, only shaken by the power you yourself put forward. I suppose it is _we_ who are the lucky ones, rather than you."

The figure approaches the girl, offering a hand to help her to her feet. Accepting it, she stands, struggling to keep her balance.

"I'm scared." She says.

"You have nothing to fear, child."

"No," she continued. "When we were in there, when I was helping you and Lady Vatusia, I heard somebody talking to me. I saw somebody who wasn't there before."

The hooded figure was intrigued. "Go on?"

"He was....scary. It was like he was talking right into my mind. Everything felt hot, like I was sitting in fire."

"What did he say to you?"

Desdemona went quiet for a moment, gathering the strength to speak. She began tugging at the skin on her arm.

"I don't know what all the words mean...."

"That's quite alright."

"He said, 'This world, and everything in it, is mine to dominate, mine to'.....something, 'mine to rule.'"

The hooded figure and Desdemona stood silently. The young girl shook unsure of how to feel. The dark mage, on the other hand, knew exactly what to feel about this revelation. 

"You truly are something special, child. You were blessed with a gift, and therefore have nothing to fear. Come now, let us get you back inside. You need your rest, child."

"Um, one more question." Desdemona asked.

"And that is?"

"You've known me all my life, but I've never seen your face, and I don't know your name. Who are you?"

The hooded figure stopped in their tracks for a moment. The wind seemingly stopped at the same time as Desdemona's question, as though it too wanted answers.

"You need not worry about who I am, child. For now, you must focus on yourself."

The two then made their way back into the stronghold.


	7. Waves of Uncertainty

_**Hyrule Castle, Dining Hall -** _

Sheik continued walking through the halls of the castle, ensuring the safety and well being of each of its inhabitants. All throughout the castle the same disconcerting energy wafted its way along, stronger in some places and weaker in others. 

Sheik took extra attention to where the energy was stronger, discovering that it died down in areas mostly populated by knights and guards. They marked their findings down on a map they carried along with them.

"Interesting," The young Sheikah said. "At least we needn't worry about any of the knights attempting to take His Highness out. At the same time, however, the idea of some staff closer to the King and Queen giving off this energy is more worrisome. Figuring this out on my own is going to be tricky, it makes me wish I had another Sheikah expert to help me ou-"

Sheik stopped in their tracks, before turning on a dime and making their way outside to the training grounds at a brisk pace. The energies fluctuated, increasing and decreasing as they made their way through, exponentially spiking as they neared the training grounds.

"Goddesses above!" Sheik exclaimed. They made a mark on their map, a spot north of a guard's chamber, where the energy was at it's absolute strongest. They then continued out to the training grounds. The trainee knights were all practicing drills and formations for the day. Among them was a girl with vibrant pink hair that flowed down her back. She wore silver and green Sheikah armor.

"Alkas!" Sheik called out.

"Oh! Good afternoon, Sheik." Alkas replied, bowing to the young warrior.

Sheik respectfully returned the gesture. "You feel it too, yes?"

"Depends on what 'it' refers to. If 'it' is aching muscles from failing to properly stretch before drills, then I am unfortunately feeling 'it' in the worst way."

"Um, no, but you should be more cautious. Consider a trip to the infirmary, perhaps. But no, I'm referring to the strange negative energy that's been passing through the castle."

Alkas went quiet. She looked around before turning her attention back toward Sheik.

"Meet me over by the wall. We'll continue there."

Sheik followed Alkas' orders and made their way toward the wall of the castle. Alkas briefly conversed with her superior, a tall woman with dark blue hair, before making her way over to the wall as well.

"Okay, so I'm glad I'm not the only one who's actively been seeking this out," Alkas said. "What have you found so far?"

"I've come to the conclusion that this energy takes certain paths around the castle, as if it's tied to a single individual," Sheik replied, bringing out their map of the castle. "I've taken notes of locations where the energy is stronger compared to others. It seems as though whatever is dragging it through the halls steers away from areas commonly utilized by the knights."

"That'd certainly make sense. The last thing somebody who's trailing such dark vibes through the castle needs is the suspicion of the people armed to protect it."

"In addition," Sheik continued. "There's a spot where I felt as though the energy was at its strongest, right around here."

They pointed to the mark they had previously jotted down earlier. Alkas' face became more worried.

"Um...I certainly hope that it being marked on the Princess' quarters is just a poor coincidence."

Sheik did a double take. "Oh heavens, I did not realize that. You don't think-"

"I mean, I don't exactly have any _positive_ words to describe her highness, but I don't believe she'd allow something like this."

"I suppose you're right. But we'll keep an eye on things just in case. For now, we should continue ensuring that the castle is safe."

"Should we tell somebody?"

"Not until we have enough evidence to begin with. We don't want to make assumptions."

Alkas nodded in agreement. The two Sheikah descendants then returned to their previous duties, now with plans forming in their minds.

* * *

_**The Western Sea -** _

Linebeck's ship continued sailing atop the waves of the sea. Knights and crewmates alike were sat around on the deck, doing their best to entertain themselves for the duration of the voyage.

"Surprised you've been doing this well on deck," Impa said to Igneous. "Your kind don't exactly do too well around water if I'm not wrong."

"Yeah, Gorons aren't exactly too well known for swimming," The gentle giant replied. "But I've personally never had _too_ much of an issue with water. If anything, I'm more worried about you guys. If I go overboard, it'd be on you to drudge me up from the sea floor."

"Not like you'll even have to worry about that, big man." Captain Linebeck came out from below deck. "My ship is a sturdy gal, only time anybody goes overboard is when we beat 'em back ourselves, there ain't been a crew that could take us on and live to tell the tale."

"Glad to know we're in good hands. If anything hairy _does_ happen to come to pass, however, we'll be more than happy to lend you and your crew a hand."

The Captain nodded and continued along the deck, up to the bow of the ship. There, Link, Ganondorf, and Ralph sat playing cards.

"Who's winning?" He asked.

"Ralph." Link and Ganondorf chorused. Ralph stifled a snicker.

"That's a good sign. He's your tactical guy, isn't he?"

"Yeah, he can keep that to the battlefield. I'm trying to win." Ganondorf shot back. "But man, he's too good at this."

"This was a common pastime back in Labrynna Castle. Years of expertise on my end." Ralph said. "And honestly, it really does benefit in wartime improving strategy."

"Oop, found an opening." Link said. He moved on of his cards toward Ralph, claiming the defeated card for himself. "Your move."

Ralph shook his head, uttering a disappointed "Mmph." He then moved three of his cards; One to strike down Link's previously victorious card and claim it for himself, and two more to strike down Link's 'leader' card.

"That's game." 

"Is it?" Link asked, "I must've missed something

"Type advantage. Forest is weak to fire, and wisdom beats out courage. Your deku scrub was left wide open after taking out my chuchu, so that was east to handle with a _fire_ chuchu. Then for your Young Hero of Time, I moved my King of Hyrule up beside my Phantom Knight, which powered him up, and made it easy to take you out. Therefore; game."

Linebeck nodded his head. "Yeah, no, I'm completely lost."

"Don't think about it too hard, Captain. Did you need us for something?"

"Nah, jus' making sure you knight folks are hangin' in there. I can understand if the sea life isn't exactly your cup of tea."

"Boring at worst, but we make do." Ralph said, getting the cards back together in a deck.

"Honestly, I enjoy the peace," Ganondorf said, "Salt in the breeze calms me down, keeps the edge of missin' my baby at home off a tad."

"Baby?"

"We've got kids." Link said.

Ralph clears his throat.

"Right. Ganon and I have kids. First time in a while that we've been this far away from them."

"First time _ever_ for me." Ganondorf clarified. 

"I can see how that'd be worrying. Being away from somebody you love for so long. But hey, you'll see her again before long, pal."

"He's right, Dragmire." Impa said, having made her way over to the three knights. "Plus, she's with Malon and the castle's guard, she's in good hands."

 _Is she?_ Ganondorf thought to himself. While the General brought up a good point about Malon, something had been weighing on his mind for some time.

He thought back to his first time arriving at the castle, and even to earlier in the day where the captain of the other ship refused his entry. While it had been some time since Ganondorf himself had experienced such acts in the castle, he still worried for how others might perceive him and his daughter. Ganondorf is rather large, and might even come off as intimidating to those who aren't familiar with him, which is why he always tries to make a good first impression. But regardless of impressions, he is a Gerudo, which is enough for certain people to go off of.

Where his stature alone alone can keep people from acting against him, his daughter might not be so lucky.

"Captain!" A voice called out from above. 

"Ah, Zuko." Captain Linebeck called back. "What's the news?"

"We've got a ship on the horizon."

The knights looked at each other, Ralph shrugging. They looked to the Captain.

"Huh, shouldn't be an issue, so long as we don't give 'em a reason to fire on us, we should be fine."

"Sir, their flag has a butterfly on it."

Linebeck's expression became awash with worry.

"Ah, I see.....well then."

"Captain?" said Link, "Something the matter?"

"Gentlemen, we're about to come face to face with an old..... _friend_ of mine. Alonzo! Hold 'er still!"

The ship slowed to a stop. Captain Linebeck made his way toward the edge of the ship's bow, accompanied by the knights.

The previously mentioned ship sat calmly off in the distance, positioned perpendicular to Linebeck's ship. Ralph, taking notice turns toward Impa, motioning her to join him and the other knights. 

"What is it?" Impa asked in a hushed voice.

"Taking precautions." Ralph whispered back. "I don't know _too_ much about sea-based warfare, but that looks a little too 'we're gonna fire' for my liking."

As if on cue, cannons opened up from the side of the opposing ship.

"Good call."

"Yeeeup."


	8. Young Unity

"How long do you think yours and my papa are gonna be?" Asked Linkle, walking beside Kindall through the Castle Halls.

"Who can say?" The Gerudo Heir replied. "From what I know, Holodrum is far from here, so it's going to take some time for them to get there, let alone get back."

Linkle wasn't sure how to reply. Not because she was worried, but because she wasn't sure of what "let alone" meant.

"You don't have to worry, though," Kindall assured her friend, "Our dads are really tough! Plus they have Sir Ralph, Sir Kafei, Lady Impa; they have more than enough help even if they don't need it. So their mission is a guaranteed success."

"Yeah! Our dads are the toughest, strongest, most coolest knights in Hyrule!"

The girls continued their commute out of the castle and onto the grassy training grounds. Many other knights and knights-to-be were performing their usual drills.

"Captain Eagus!" The girls chorused, confirming their attendance.

"Ah, there you two are." The large man confirmed. "Lemme just mark you two down as present, there we go. We're covering defensive measures today, you two showed up together so you'll be each other's battle buddies. Any questions?"

"No sir."

"All clear here, Captain."

"Alrighty, I'll leave you to it. Oh, and if Anju is coming in today, she can join you guys if that's not an issue."

"Got it."

The Captain saluted to the young girls who returned the gesture before going their separate ways.

Kindall and Linkle picked up their respective training weapons, found an open spot on the field, and took sparring stances. 

"Alright, who's going first, you or me?"

"Ummm, I'm not too good at this yet, I think. You first?"

"You just want a reason to swing at me." Kindall scoffed.

"Nuh uh!" Linkle fired back, lacking even a single hint of truth.

The girls then trained on, and before they knew it, half an hour had already passed. Kindall looked around at her peers as she and her sparring partner were taking a break.

"Huh, still no Anju."

"Really? Do ya think she got lost? Hyrule Castle is _reeeeeeeeally_ big."

"True, but I think someone would show her the way out here. A knight or a teacher or...something."

"Heya kiddos," Captain Ghanti said, sitting down in the grass beside the two trainees. "You guys doing alright?"

"Yes, ma'am." Kindall said.

"Jus' takin' a break," Linkle added. "We're waiting for Anju to come."

"Huh, I _thought_ we were missing some lavender hair, today. Was she here earlier and I just didn't see her?"

"No, she hasn't been here all day."

"Interesting, well maybe- Oh wait, there she goes."

Ghanti gestured toward the wall. Anju approached the training ground, making her way over to Captain Eagus. Her face was dirty her boots were covered with mud. A single tree branch protruded from her frizzled hair.

"Ohhh, I hope she didn't just track all that through the castle..." Ghanti said under her breath. She climbed to her feet.

Anju finished being marked for attendance, then turned her attention towardher friends and Ghanti. 

"Uh, you alright there, sweetie?" 

"Mmhmm." Anju confirmed.

"Wow, you're a mess!" Linkle pointed out. "Did a Deku Scrub attack you on the way here?" 

"Nuh uh," Anju assured. "I fell."

"Into what, a shrub?" Kindall said, picking the tree branch out of her colleague's hair.

"No, I just fell."

"Well we're glad you made it here okay, honey. I'll let you three keep training now that you're all accounted for."

"Yes ma'am." Kindall said as Ghanti made her way toward another group.

"You gotta be more careful, clumsy." Linkle teased. "Good thing that fall didn't mess you up too bad."

"I didn't fall," Anju corrected. "I got into a fight."

"A fight?" 

"Cool! Did you win?"

"Linkle! Who did you get into a fight with? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. Dumb Korok kid picked on me, so I beat him up."

Kindall looked confused.

"OH YEAH! Take that, you dumb Korok kid, nobody messes with my friend." Linkle said excitedly.

"What's a...Korok?" Kindall asked.

"Yeah, what's a-a Korok?" Linkle echoed.

"Oh yeah, they're these, uh, these little tree thingies that live in the forest."

Kindall and Linkle shared a glance at each other; Kindall confused and Linkle absolutely _BEAMING_ with excitement.

"What forest?"

"The one that way."

Anju pointed to the North. To Linkle, it looked as though she were simply pointing at the castle.

"The castle has trees in it?"

"I think she means the forest that's north of the castle. I think they're called the Lost Woods?"

"Yeah, that."

"Coooooool!" Linkle said, practically squeaking.

"I figured we weren't allowed to go there. I've always heard it was dangerous."

"I wanna go there! It sounds cool! Let's ask Captain Ghanti if we can all go!"

"Nnnnno!" Anju interjected. "We can just go."

Kindall's worry grew more and more. "This really sounds like a bad idea you guys. I feel like we could really get in trouble if we did that."

"Fine, scaredy cat. Me and Linkle will go without you."

Kindall rolled her eyes.

"We can go after training. Make sure you bring your cool sword, okay?"

"Okay!" Linkle agreed.

Linkle and Anju readied themselves for more training. Kindall hesitated for a moment, before joining them. 

* * *

After training and studies finished for the day, Anju and Linkle made their way out of the castle. The two met over by the Castle Gates.

"Last chance to turn back, Linkle. It's a bit of a walk, too, so if you don't want-"

"C'moooooon, Anju! I wanna see this cool place you've been talking about. Let's go, let's go, let's go!"

Linkle hopped around with excitement, her bag bouncing on her back.

"What's in the bag?"

"Oh, I got some food and stuff from the dining hall. What if we got hungry, y'know?"

"Good point. I always just ate what they already had their."

"Aw, Anju. If you said something, I wouldn't have had to sneak snacks out."

"Eh, that's okay. The really only have fruit and veggies there, anyway."

The girls then began making their way through Castle Town, going as far as the gates leading outside of the eastern part of town. 

"There's the exit, let's go Anju."

"Ah, wait, " Anju said, stopping Linkle. The lavender haired girl pointed. "Look."

At the gate stood a pair of guards, keeping watch of everything entering and exiting the town.

Ducking down beside some barrels of a nearby shop, Anju pulls out a map of Hyrule. 

"We want to go up _here_..." Anju points to the Lost Woods to the north, "But right now, we're stuck _here_." She points to the eastern town gate. "Up here by the cathedral, there's a way that we can get out through, but we have to be sneaky."

"Sneaky? I'm _SUPER_ sneaky! That's not gonna be a prob'em for us."

The patron of the shop they were hiding by stared at them. They stared back.

"You aren't doing a good job of making me believe that." Anju said. "C'mon, let's go.

The girls continued on toward the Hyrule Cathedral.

"There's our target. Here."

Anju reached into her bag and pulled out two masks.

"Put this on, it'll keep us disguised."

"Wow, you really thought this through, huh Anju?"

"Shhhh, sneaky remember?"

Linkle did a zipper motion over her mouth before putting her mask on. The both quickly and quietly made their way out of the town walls through a little opening. Guards were stationed nearby. Anju silently motioned Linkle to follow her. After a small jog, the two reached a nearby bridge.

"Phew, made it!" Linkle said. "Are we almost there? This looks like a forest to me."

"No, I think this is called Hyrule Park. We're just a little under halfway there."

"A little under halfway?? But that was a while marathon! And you do this all the time?"

"You could always go back if it's too much."

Linkle put on a brave face. "Nothing is too much for the Daughter of the Champion of Hyrule! His courage is, like, in my blood or something."

"Uh huh, well we've still got a long way to go."

The young knights-in-training continued their journey. Through the Hyrule Forest Park, across the Helmhead Bridge, and approached a small town. There, they sat and ate some of their snacks for a moment before continuing on their trek. The sun shone down, and a gentle breeze blew across the green fields of the kingdom. Linkle removed her mask to let the wind hit her skin. She looked back toward the direction of Castle Town, taking note of the large distance between them.

"Hey Anju."

"Mm?"

"Do you think we'll have more cool adventures like this when we're knights?"

"I hope so. Or else being a knight would be booooriiiing."

"I don't think being a knight would be boring." Linkle continued, catching up to her younger friend. "My papa and Kindall's dad both do a lot of cool adventuring."

"They do? My dad just stays in the castle, protecting the King and Queen and Princess. Him leaving with your dad is actually really weird."

"Yeah, my papa and Kindall's dad go to far away places and fight monsters."

"Mmhmm."

"I wish I could fight monsters."

A wooded area came into view. Linkle drew her sword that she got from her father.

"I wanna fight monsters just like my papa. I'm gonna be a strong knight like him, and protect my mama."

Anju went silent, more than her usual silence. She stopped in her tracks.

"Linkle, what's your mama like?"

"Hm? Oh, she's super cool! She's strong and pretty, and she's always so nice to people. Everyone smiles when they see her. And for the people that don't, she don't have a problem givin' them a good ol' holler. She jus' the most coolest mama a kid like me could ask fer!"

Linkle put her hand over her mouth.

"Oops, I got so happy that I started talkin' weird again. Anyway c'mon, we got a forest to get to!

"Yeah..."

* * *

The girls continued their walk through the wooded area. Suddenly, Link began to realize that less and less daylight crept through the trees. In its place, a mist began clouding her vision, and longer blades of grass crawled across her boots. 

"Here we are." Anju announced. 

Linkle took a moment to look at her surroundings. The sky was completely blocked out by mist. and only trees and broken stone fixtures met her gaze elsewhere. A single torch stood in front of them. 

"What do you think?"

Linkle was in awe. She could barely believe that where she was standing was in the same kingdom she grew up in. 

"It's so pretty here." She finally said. "Let's keep going!"

"Huh?"

"There's gotta be more, right? Let's keep going."

"Oh, I never really thought about that. I mean, I did that once before, but-"

"C'mon c'mon c'mon, Anjuuuuu."

"Okay, okay."

Anju went over by the fire standing before them. A torch sat beside it, which she picked up and lit. The embers danced in the forest breeze.

"Let's go."

"Heck yeah."

The kids walked through the dense fog. Anju gently and cautiously making her way through, occasionally looking back toward Linkle so not to lose sight of her older friend. Linkle, on the other hand, was beyond excited. Waving her sword around, "protecting" her friend from monsters.

Some time passed, and the two girls noticed that they had been walking for a while with very little in sight. The fog appeared to have gotten even thicker. Not even trees were in sight at this point.

"Wow, I _REEEEEEALLY_ can't see. Guess that's why they call it the lost woods, huh?"

"..."

"Anju?"

"..."

"Uhhhh, Anju?

Linkle put her sword away and walked up toward the flame that guided her. Below it stood a silent Ajnu, shaking with fear.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"I don't know...where we are, anymore." Anju said, her voice shaking.

"Hey, it's okay. It's okay."

"Linkle, we're lost. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have made you come here."

Linkle took her friend's mask off. Tears streamed down the younger girl's face. Linkle wasn't sure what to say. Linkle was worried, just as worried as Anju. But she knew that if they were both worried, nobody else would be able to comfort them. She then thought of her mom and dad. _What would they do,_ she thought to herself.

Linkle gently took the torch from her friend's hand, and drove the handle into the ground with the flame still sticking upward. She then wrapped her arms around her friend. 

"Everything's gonna be okay, Anju." She assured her friend. "We're here together, we're gonna be okay."

Just then, from outside of their vision, a rustling sound was heard. The young Hylian girls' ears perked up. Anju hurredly picked the torch back up, its flame was getting smaller. The rustling continued, now coming from every direction.

Linkle thought to herself again. _What would mama and papa do?_

"Linkle...I'm scared."

Linkle drew her sword once again, planted her feet, and stood courageously in front of her friend. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the long waits between chapters, sometimes it's a bit hard to keep motivation high.  
> Regardless, I'm still gonna try to keep this story going until the end. In the meantime, feel free to follow me on Twitter @Triforceriku_


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